A vision of Tribulation and Rapture

This is a vision I had of end-time events that will soon come to pass. Some of you won’t even read it because of the length of the post. You are more interested in being heard than listening to others. I understand. Some will get mad because it disagrees with your doctrine. I understand that as well, but some will hear it for what it is, and that is why I am posting it.

This is a result of several visions and prophetic experiences I had around the end of July and the beginning of August 2021. I believe this is a warning to the Body of Christ for this season. I have struggled with posting this. These visions and experiences came with strong personal correction and great encouragement from the Lord. When the discipline felt like it would overwhelm me, He would comfort me with revelations about His nature and how He loves me.

These encounters challenged my beliefs and changed some of my views entirely on many things. I pray that only His truth be revealed in this and not my ideas. Amen.

I take this seriously, and I have no agenda other than trying my best to obey the Lord and adequately steward what He has given me.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

I will only relate the things He has shown me or told me and only the things I am confident I understand. There is plenty that I don’t yet understand, so please read this prayerfully and trust the Spirit of God in you.

          The seventh trumpet (the LAST trumpet) marks the beginning of the “Day of the Lord.” That Great Day is not a single day as we would understand it. I don’t know how long it is, but our involvement on the Earth is just under a year after the seventh trumpet starts to blow.

Here is a portion of what I saw play out at the trumpet blast. This came from several visions and prophetic experiences over nine days.

          The Lord showed me that the “elect” referred to in the book of Revelation are the ones chosen to be alive at this magnificent time in human history. The Elect refers to the Church and the 144000 combined. Both groups of people have the high honor of going through the greatest tribulation the world has ever seen and shining through it all, bringing God great glory. It is one of the greatest honors ever given to man. The entire Host of Heaven and the great cloud of witnesses are wide-eyed in anticipation of seeing this Revelation of Jesus Christ play out.

The Word of the Lord came to me and said:

“The greatest outpouring of my Spirit the world has ever seen will only come with great tribulation. If my people are not braced for what’s coming, they are far more likely to mishandle the anointing and be crushed by the trials.”

          Much of the Church has been praying for revival and the outpouring of the Spirit as promised in scripture. Tribulation comes with it—the greater the tribulation, the more incredible the outpouring.

          The Lord revealed to me that one of the purposes of saving the 144000 is for God’s righteous judgment on Israel and those who refused to repent before the last trumpet begins to blow.

Revelation 10:7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

This 7th trumpet blast lasts for a long, long time. We see in Revelation 10 that the trumpet blast lasts for “days.” As I stated, it lasted for months from what I could discern from the visions and images I saw. Once the last trumpet starts to blow, the Lord hardens all unbelievers like He did Pharaoh. Immediately the demons on the Earth will attach themselves to the hardened people. There will be no more “salvations” for the gentiles after that—only the saving of the 144000.

In a separate vision, the Lord showed me the mystery of “the restrainer,” which I will write about soon. The restrainer has to do with the number of the gentiles being fulfilled. The restrainer is not the Holy Spirit, nor the Church as I had been taught previously.

Just before the trumpet blast, or possibly at the same time, God marks the 144000 on their foreheads. This is not seen in their physical bodies. They are marked in the spirit realm so that all demons are acutely aware of who they are. The mark brings great terror to the demons. God does this to protect His Remnant.

The 144000 are marked but not yet saved. Demonized people will flee in terror when they get too close to one of them; at this time, all are demonized, even a large portion of the Church.

I saw crowds of demonized people watching those marked on their foreheads in terror from a distance. They kept their distance because the demons in them would not let them get too close. They didn’t understand why they were so afraid of these people, and the 144000 were also perplexed at why this was happening. In the beginning, they are not even aware they are marked. They don’t yet understand who they are because none of them have been born again yet. This goes on for what seems to be about a month and a half to two months.

          The 144000 will be devout Jewish believers that deny Christ is the Messiah. They will sincerely love God, but not according to knowledge. God’s great love and mercy toward these individuals is seemingly tangible. He takes them and marks them to protect them. The Lord told me they represent the original natural branches cut off so the gentiles could be grafted in. They will be grafted back into the olive root. The Lord told me that this is His Remnant.

         The 144000 will be tormented by only a few specific demons of confusion during the tribulation but will never be threatened with death. I perceived that Satan somehow has a unique strategy for deceiving the 144000 and will vigorously attack their minds. Somehow he can torment their thoughts without getting close to them. I could not perceive this strategy, but their torment will continue until every last one of the 144000 confesses Jesus as Lord.

Through Christ’s name alone is the only way into Heaven, and God won’t violate His word, chosen Remnant or not. They ALL must confess Jesus as Lord, and Christ’s return is held back until they all confess Him as Lord.

          The 144000 will have one of the highest places in Heaven. As soon as one of them is born again, God imparts a supernatural revelation of their identity that far surpasses anything the Church has attained in history. They will understand who they are beyond what the apostle Paul understood. They will understand mercy and grace like we never have. The Lord’s love for His Remnant is overwhelming to the 144000. They realize that they had absolutely nothing to do with their salvation. The humility this Revelation births in them is a beautiful thing yet impossible to describe. They understand that the last shall be first and realize they are the last.

          I saw that this incredible process of saving all of the 144000 Jews would take less than a year. They will continue to suffer in the great tribulation, and the Church will suffer with them. The Elect will be the “gold tried in the fire.” The 144000 will watch the Church being tried, tested, tortured, abused, and killed while going through the process I will describe now. Some of the most remarkable testimonies and God’s greatest glory will come from these last-day Saints. Some of the most privileged positions in Heaven are reserved for the Elect.

The 144000 are born again

           I was allowed to see the first man of the 144000 Jews come to believe in Jesus and give his heart to the Lord. I saw darkness physically flee as the light of God exploded in his heart. I saw the incredible burden of suffering and deception lifted from him, the light in his eyes, the expression on his face. I could tell that he was completely free. Freer than anyone I had ever known or seen. I knew that nothing could hurt or move him off his belief. He was born again, yet he did not have to walk out his salvation as we do. His carnal nature was utterly silenced, and the carnal man was crucified entirely.

His Revelation of son-ship was complete from the start. Love was perfected in him at his conversion. It was the greatest eye-opening, Ah-ha moment I have ever witnessed. It turned him into a pillar of faith and hope for all of the Church and the remainder of the 144000.

It is almost like God imparted an understanding and maturity into him. Still, at the same time, he had an air of incredible childlikeness about him. It was apparent he had complete and absolute trust in the One who just saved him. This experience is similar for every one of the 144000.

Much of their time immediately after their conversion is spent in expressions of joy, gratitude, and worship.

          Once converted, each one understands that the rest of the 144000 must be found and converted quickly. They begin to seek out others who have experienced demonized people running from them, and salvations increase rapidly.

Every one of the Remnant has this incredible, spectacular experience of awakening to new life. Each conversion is a unique and dramatic event for the individual and for all those who witness this born-again experience. The Church and the 144000 marvel at each transformation and watch with great anticipation as they see each new birth. All of Heaven echoes the celebration with an energy and enthusiasm that is marvelous to witness. Heaven and Earth celebrate every conversion like it’s the most remarkable event in the history of man because, in God’s eyes, it is.

I sit here and weep at the beauty of all this and the conviction of my own heart for taking salvation for granted. I watched my three sons being born and was privileged to experience the crazy emotions, the anticipation, and the incredible joy of each birth. As great as those moments were, they pale compared to what I saw at the conversions of the 144000. Life is to be celebrated, and we haven’t begun to understand that.

It will only take a few months from that first confession of Jesus to the final one of the 144000 to believe. The urgency of the 144000 is fueled by the Revelation of who they are in Bible prophecy and the anticipation of each conversion event. The Church will also catch the Revelation of who the 144000 are and help find the rest of the Remnant.

They begin to keep a rough head count on these incredible conversions as much as possible, which quickly becomes a hunt for the last man. They know that God will come for His Bride when the last of the 144000 is born again. The Revelation of son-ship for 144000 becomes a great encouragement to the Church and births great faith for those that are being persecuted for Christ.

I saw many prominent ministers labeled “prosperity preachers” with multiple private jets. They will be a big part of the network that tracks down and finds the last of the 144000 scattered throughout the Earth. They are a part of God’s end-time plan. God allows the deception of the so-called prosperity gospel as a part of His grand plan.

Somehow, God has this complex infrastructure prepared that we are not even aware of yet. His strategies will become evident to all very soon. During the tribulation, there will be a progressive unveiling of who God is to the world. I am talking about how He thinks, how He sees us, and a revealing of His great love that will overwhelm all that believe. It will bring hope and strength to many that are weak.

          The Lord revealed this passage to me as I write some of this.

Jeremiah 50:4 “In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek the Lord their God. 

          The Seventh Trumpet blast is a physically audible sound and continues for months, driving the demonized people mad. The Elect will recognize the trumpet for what it is. It will be a sound of hope to those who have the Spirit. The sound of that continual trumpet blast strengthens the Church to walk through the fire of tribulation. I perceived that the long trumpet blast is an expression of God’s great mercy to the Bride of Christ so that she can strengthen herself to love, not her own life unto death.

The unity of the Faith will be accomplished during this time. We can only prepare for it on this side of the trumpet. It is the bride without spot or wrinkle that He is returning for. This unity empowers the Church with such strength and resolve that they become the greatest army the world has ever seen, fully clothed in God’s armor, unchangeable, unmovable. There will be many glorious deaths for the Church, and some of the most significant rewards in Heaven will be granted them.

          It is God’s great love and mercy that started this. It will be His great Love and compassion that finishes it. We are here for His good pleasure and were made for that purpose.

The world will witness the 144000 loving and serving God and hate them for it but won’t be able to kill them because of the names on their foreheads.

They will walk the Earth virtually untouchable. They can’t be killed. Some will try to kill them from a distance, but God continually brings strong delusions on the attackers, and their weapons and plans will turn against them. The hardened, demonized masses will label them as aliens, and many unbelievers will begin to worship them.

For others, every negative thing happening on the planet will be blamed on the 144000. They will stand out as a people so radically different and unique and model the royalty that we were all created to be from the beginning. The 144000 can’t be killed, so Satan pours his wrath out on the Church instead. The spirit of accusation will pour forth on the Church as Satan’s bitterness, anger, and great rage will increase in the unbelievers.

          I have seen some of the terrible things we must face, and I will not share them, but the more He shows me, the more excited I get. We can bring Him such great glory in these times, shining bright for His great name in the middle of the tribulation. This is where faith shines the brightest. I now see how blessed we are to live in these times. It is such a high honor. I welcome it with anticipation and the fear of the Lord. I know that it is only by His grace that I can see it this way.

          The Church is in a time of correction. We must all judge ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to correct and adjust us so we can become the bride without spots or wrinkles. Somehow I understand that He is responsible for our great faith. We honestly can do nothing but cooperate and yield to the great potter. It will take great faith just to remain the clay.

          When Abraham sent his servant to find a bride for the child of promise, he showered her with gifts to prepare her to meet the bridegroom. Our Father will do the same thing with the bride of Christ. This is the outpouring we’ve been praying for all these years. It is these incredible gifts that the Father will pour out on the Church so that she shines her brightest in the darkest time in human history. The Father will get great glory, and some of the most significant rewards in Heaven will be given to those who overcome during this time. WE ARE BLESSED!!

          There are three prevailing doctrines on the rapture and when it takes place. Before these experiences, I believed in a pre-tribulation rapture for over 30 years. Not any more. God ripped that foolishness right out of me. He showed me how it was a doctrine of devils we have been deceived with to keep us from being prepared for what is coming. The Lord has confirmed everything He has shown me in His word. It is very simple. We have to make things very complicated to believe in pre-trib foolishness.

The rapture won’t happen until the last of the Remnant confesses Jesus as Lord. I believe this will happen a little less than a year after the last trumpet starts to blow, about 4.5 years into the tribulation from what He has shown me. The instant the last of the Remnant believes in Jesus, we will be caught up together with Him in the twinkling of an eye. As we disappear, the trumpet stops. This is what the Lord meant when He said the days would be shortened for the Elect’s sake. For the next 2.5 years or so, the Earth is in great darkness, awaiting the wrath of God.

People think the tribulation is the wrath of God. It is not. It is the wrath of man and the wrath of the enemy. God’s wrath only lasts for a brief moment, and we are not appointed to that.

          Satan’s final act of vengeance is to use the people left on Earth to fight the final battle against the Lord, but that will be a quick fight. Faith has already won the victory. That is all I will say about that.

In 2017 the Lord corrected me about reading too many books about the Bible. He interrupted me while I was reading a book by a famous Christian author and specifically told me to “stop eating leavened bread.” (He was referring to reading books about the Bible) He clarified that I was only to read the Bible and call no man on Earth my teacher. (Matthew 23:8-10) This is my conviction, and I am not implying this is God’s will for everyone. I have been faithful to that instruction, and I believe that simple act of obedience opened the door for some of these things to happen.

Many of the things He showed me were strategies of Satan to deceive God’s people. One of the primary ways was to flood the Earth with so much diverse teaching about the Bible that it led people to seek the instructions of men and abandon a personal, intimate relationship with the Father and study of the Bible itself. This has led us to become a Church with itchy ears.

Consider this; A slow reader can read through the Bible in 100 hours or less. This alone tells us how little we read the Bible and how much we neglect His written word. That being said, I have a healthy and growing respect for the word of God, and I post this in fear of the Lord.

          The 7th trumpet is the LAST one. There will not be another.

These are just some of the events that I saw transpire at the last trumpet, at least the ones that I am clear on. I believe God is preparing us for what is coming.

All experiences and revelations should be judged. Please seek the Lord for yourself on these things. I would not share this unless I believed He wanted me to. I do this with a trembling heart.

          I have shared this with leaders and ministers I respect. I have confirmation from some; others have rejected this word and me. Some wouldn’t even have a conversation with me when I reached out for help. I’m not crazy or puffed up with pride and don’t feel the need to be right about this, but I know God is right, and I am not going to argue with Him.

          If I am wrong, I want to know. If I am right, we need to strengthen ourselves for what is coming.

The Cost of Spiritual Maturity.

         Christians follow others for many reasons. Personality, charisma, doctrine, integrity, social status, etc. The reason most people follow a Christian leader is because of the relationship with God that is evident in their life. All great Christian leaders have one thing in common, a genuinely intimate relationship with God that is obvious to all.

          The reason God sent Jesus was to restore man to an intimate relationship with Himself. The message of the Gospel is one of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration of relationships. It is the removal of all barriers that stand between God and man. Jesus is our peacemaker. If a Christian is not continually growing in this revelation, and living out this truth, he/she is not able to reach their full potential as a leader. 

Ephesians 2:14-18 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

          A leader’s influence should be used to bring others into a deeper relationship with the Father. Deep down this is what we all want. This can only be done by example first and teaching second. It is impossible to lead someone to a deeper relationship with God than you have personally experienced. No matter how good a teacher we may be. we can’t lead anyone to a place we’ve never been. Jesus said of Himself; “I am the way, the truth, and the life… John 14:6

If we don’t know “The Way,” we can’t show the way.

          Jesus is the example of leadership that we must follow. We can look at His life and glean many leadership principles that we can live by, but I will only address one main principle that we see Him practice throughout the gospels. The practice of being intimate with the Father.
          There are no shortcuts to intimacy, it costs time, discipline, effort, devotion, and commitment. Above all, it requires a love for Him. Pursuing intimacy with the Father is the greatest indication of our love for God and the greatest investment we can make in ourselves and others. Our faith will only rise to the level of our love for God.

          Jesus paid the price to restore our relationship with the Father. Are we paying the price to nurture and develop that relationship? This is a question we all must answer for ourselves. Intimacy with God is what leads us to maturity. Many Christians follow others because of their “spiritual gifting,” not understanding that gifting can easily be manifest without spiritual maturity.

Spiritual Gifts are Free, Maturity is Expensive

          Our identity is not found in our gifting or our calling, but in our relationship with the Father. Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher is not who we are, it is how we were created to serve. We must find our identity in our loving relationship with the Father, not our gifting.

          Disciples are made when people willingly follow you, and your living example. If you make disciples apart from intimacy with the Father, what are you reproducing? Do we really need two or more like you?
Our priority should be a growing relationship with the Father. We should be cautious of having followers if there are any other priorities above that.

          A leader can easily get distracted from spending intimate time with the Lord. A common trap is to replace being alone with God and pursuing intimacy in that relationship with the busyness of religious activity.  Another trap is to allow our “quiet time” or “devotion time” with the Lord to become a lifeless activity where we go through the motions and never connect with God on an intimate level. We can read a daily chapter or two, run through our laundry list of prayer requests, and never take time to be quiet and listen to the one we are talking to. I have been guilty of this myself. It is tragic to become lifeless in our devotions to God and call it a relationship.

            We can learn about God from reading and studying the Bible, but to truly know Him, we must spend time with Him, commune with Him, and listen to Him.

          Jesus set our greatest example. He only did what He saw the Father do. This demands a lifestyle of watching and praying. It’s not always convenient or comfortable, but it is always necessary.

          If you read my biography, you can learn a lot about me, but you can’t honestly say that you know me. You may “feel like you know me,” but to truly know me, you must spend time with me, ask me questions, and listen to my responses, spend time with me. It is the same with God.

          When intimacy becomes a lifestyle, reading the Bible takes on new dimensions and bears much more fruit in our lives. We begin to view His written word through His divine nature, we see it with an unveiled face and a heart of love that makes us more sensitive to His spoken word. This is when the scriptures begin to come alive for us.

          The Lord taught me a powerful lesson about who I am, and I would like to share it with you.
I pray often that God would live in me and through me in fullness. That people would see Him in me. I remember some time ago, ministering to a lady on the phone one day, she asked me if I was a Pastor. I said “No, my wife is a pastor,” The Lord then spoke to me in the middle of this phone conversation and said, “But I Am a Pastor, and if you deny Me that expression in your life I can’t answer your prayer to live through you in fullness.”

          God was showing me that titles and labels don’t define who we are, He does. Many times we limit His expression through our lives because our words and beliefs are not aligned with His heart. It gives us a twisted view of our identity. Intimacy with God not only gives us an understanding of who He is, but it also shapes our beliefs and gives us an understanding of who we are in Him.

          Who we think we are, must come second to who He wants us to be at any given moment. He showed me that He is the embodiment of the five-fold ministry and if we will maintain intimacy with Him and be sensitive to His desires He will be free to move through us and touch lives in ways that we could never do through our strength and ability.

Ephesians 4:11-16 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

          Without intimacy. we will not produce the fruit of who He is in our lives. May we grow in this wonderful relationship until we love as He loves.

          As we seek Him, we will find Him. As we draw close to Him. He draws close to us. As we embrace Him, He will embrace us. We love Him because He first loved us. He proved His love by laying down His life for us. May we lay down our lives for Him. He is worthy

          He is worthy of our attention, our affection, our life, and He is worthy of our death should it be required. He is worthy!

Spiritual Warfare #27 Holiness

I purposely saved the subject of holiness for the final chapter. I believe that all prior lessons will help build the foundation needed to embrace our sanctification and move us toward a lifestyle of holiness.

          Holiness is the greatest expression of who God is. It is the source of His absolute moral purity and goodness. Holiness separates God with unapproachable light and sanctifies Him from all darkness and anything that would be impure, defiled, or incomplete. Holiness is the purest expression of God’s love and nature.

          The power of holiness overcomes all darkness and consumes all evil. It is not the opposite of darkness and evil, but the master of it.

1 Peter 1:15-16 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

          God calls us to be holy because God is calling us unto Himself. Intimacy with God is our created purpose and without holiness, we cannot fulfill that purpose. Jesus’ work on the cross and our acceptance of His sacrifice will make us holy positionally. This restores our relationship with God so we can partner with Him to work out our salvation and sanctification practically as we grow in our intimacy with Him.

The absence of holiness brings judgment.

We have instructions and examples throughout the Bible about the power of God’s holiness, how to treat His holy things, His holy commands, and the harsh judgment that falls on those that do not properly reverence His holiness.

The Church has heaped judgment upon herself because of unbelief and a lack of understanding in this area. We no longer tremble at God’s presence and the reading of His word. We no longer treat our assembling as holy. We have lost our understanding of sacred communion, and we have mingled worldly practices into our corporate worship.

Where is the holy fear in God’s people? Have we wandered so far from the fear of the Lord and holy reverence? Has pride and complacency blinded our hearts to seeing God as common?

Both the Old and the New Testaments stress the importance of cultivating holiness in our lives. However, more and more we gravitate toward focusing on the promises of God while neglecting the importance of sanctification.

2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

The fear of the Lord is inseparable from holiness. Without the fear of the Lord, holiness is incomplete and unattainable. 

1 Peter 1:13-19 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ¹⁵but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” ¹⁷ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 

For us to become holy as He is holy, we must fear the awesome power of holiness and reverence the One from whom holiness emanates. We must retrain ourselves to understand what holiness is and renew a holy fear in the Church that will help us treat God, His Word, and His people as holy.

Training for holiness

          For the priests and Levites, there were detailed instructions on how they were to prepare themselves for service in the temple, and how the high priest was to approach God. Without strict adherence to these rules, they could be stricken dead.

          Have you ever wondered why there are so many accounts of Israel receiving extreme judgment from the Lord?

3,000 died in one day because of idolatry. (Exodus 32)

24,000 Died in a plague because of sexual immorality. (Numbers 25)

In 2 Samual 24, when King David had a census of Israel, trying to measure the strength of God’s people, it was offensive to God because He was their strength.  70,000 died in one day because of David’s sin.

We read in Joshua 6 and 7 that after the walls of Jericho fell, a man named Achan caused Israel to be defeated in the battle with AI because he stole some garments, some silver, and gold, and brought them into the camp. 36 men were killed in that battle with Ai and Israel’s army was sent running with their tails between their legs. Here is Achan’s judgment;

Joshua 7:24-26 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. ²⁵ And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

²⁶ Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.

          One man’s sin brought judgment on the entire nation. Much like Adam’s sin brought judgment upon all of mankind. It was not our fault that we were born under sin, yet here we are, living with two natures.

          Our lack of reverence as His body has brought the righteous judgment of God upon us in the form of disqualifying us from the kingdom of God’s power and promises. We are citizens of the kingdom, but we are a kingdom divided, a weak and powerless people.

          After decades of the Ark of the Covenant dwelling in the house of Abinidab, king David chose thirty thousand choice men to retrieve the Ark and bring it back into the city of David with great celebration along the way. Abinadab’s sons, Ahio and Uzzah drove the new ox-cart that the Ark was placed on. When the oxen stumbled and it seemed that the Ark was going to fall, Uzzah put forth his hand and touched the Ark to steady it. Although Uzzah had good intentions to keep the Ark from falling off the cart, God was angry at him for touching the holy thing, and he was stricken dead on the spot.

2 Samuel 6:6-7 And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. ⁷ Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. 

          This incident made David angry. He did not think it was just that God would strike down a man that was only trying to help, but it also stirred up the fear of the Lord in David to the point that he was afraid to bring it into the city.

2 Samuel 6:8-11 And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day. ⁹ David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.   

          To this day, people still get angry at God for these types of judgments just like David did. Many ask questions like, ”how can a good God kill all those people?” Some make bold statements calling God a murderer. Could it be that God is trying to teach us something in all these harsh judgments?

What is God saying to us in all these shocking stories of incredible judgment? He is teaching us about holiness. The dangers of mishandling it, the incredible power that comes with it, and the sobering judgments that fall on those that don’t understand it.

          God’s rules are set in place to protect us. If we don’t obey His commands, there is a system of spiritual and natural judgment already in place that we become subject to. God, in His great mercy and wisdom, is trying to show us the power and importance of holiness to protect us. If we are to be in a relationship with Him, we must know how to approach Him. If we are to represent Him, we must understand Him. If we are to understand Him, we must understand holiness.

No one was allowed to touch the Ark once God’s presence was there. Only the Levites were allowed to move it and they had to carry it with poles, thrust through rings in the side of the ark. Anyone who touched the ark died instantly. If the high priest did not purify himself properly and observe every detail of his priestly office while in the Holy of Holies, he would be stricken down as well.

God does not allow a defiled person to touch His Holy things, and God will not abide in an unholy temple even today. We are now His temple, and if holiness is not restored to the Church, we will never see the demonstration of the kingdom of God that we see in the early Church and should be seeing now.

There are many more accounts of severe judgment falling on man, but they have a common thread. They are all instructions to us about how we are to treat a holy God, His holy things, and His holy people. God uses the severity of physical judgment to teach us the magnitude of spiritual judgment that is incurred when we lack reverence and understanding of holiness.

Maybe the greatest example of despising God is the worldwide flood in Noah’s time. Think of the magnitude of this judgment. A world that knew only evil continually, with no thought to the holiness of God. Then consider the world we live in today.

The Bible says in the last days it will be just like the days of Noah.

Matthew 24:37-39 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

Our culture knows little about holiness because the Church has not set the standard of sanctification required to represent God well. Holiness is a big deal to God. Why is holiness not a big deal to the church anymore?

          Some time ago, I asked the Lord to teach me about His holiness. I began to pray for understanding and seek God through the scriptures, all the while, listening to the Lord’s instruction. He said nothing to me about holiness. Instead, He began to teach me about the fear of the Lord.

          It is the fear of the Lord that perfects holiness in our lives. Without the fear of the Lord, we fall into the same type of irreverent unbelief that the people in Noah’s day, and the children of Israel did in their 4o year journey in the wilderness.

Just as Israel could not enter the promised land with all its abundant blessing, the Church is living and dying in the wilderness without ever walking in the fullness of the kingdom of God.

           A tree is known by its fruit. One look at the Church today, compared to the early Church we read about in the Bible, and it is obvious that we have lost something. Where is the demonstration and power of the kingdom of God? Why are we not bearing the fruit of the kingdom we see modeled by our fathers in the faith? Have we been so corrupted by the world and blinded by its influence that we don’t understand that the Spirit God placed within us is Holy?

          We have made friends with the world by allowing sin to creep in, and remain in our Church gatherings. We need to redefine our relationship with the world and each other. If we fail to restore a high level of accountability for each other. If we don’t raise up bold leaders that can set an example of holiness and sanctification to follow, we will continue to disqualify ourselves from the greater things of God.

Emphasizing an entertainment culture and the building of a religious organization has taken the place of building and discipling people and leading them to a lifestyle of holiness. How are we currently being discipled? What are we reproducing? Should we continue to multiply a Church that produces attendees rather than producing disciples with the fruit of holiness?

What is our mindset when we “go to Church?” Is it for fellowship? Is it a religious duty? Are we needing a boost of encouragement to make it through the rest of the week? Do we simply wish to be a part of something bigger than ourselves? Does it even enter our minds that what we are doing is considered holy by the Lord?

The Church needs to understand that when we gather together it is a holy assembly of Christ’s body. In the Old Testament, they called their gatherings “holy convocations.” There was an awareness of divine purpose and an expectation of divine direction when they gathered. Without an awareness of holiness, we will continue to attend Church instead of becoming her. We must stop “doing Church,” and become the Church.

A vision of the body

          Some years ago, in a time of prayer, I thanked God for the body of Christ that validates Him to the world. As soon as I said that, I had a vision of an Arab man clothed in a robe and sitting in a wheelchair with His head hanging down in sadness. I saw the word “INVALID” appear out of thin air hovering over this man. As I looked closer, the man’s head lifted and I realized that it was Jesus!

          At that moment I knew that we, the Church had done a poor job validating Him to the world. The world views Christ as weak and powerless, not valid, and they view us, His body, the same way. We need the power and demonstration of the kingdom of God to validate Christ to the world. This will not happen if the Church does not return its focus to the fear of God and holiness.

1 Chronicles 16:29 Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!

Psalm 29:2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

          God commands us to “be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) How is that even possible? Is God trying to trap us in our inadequacy? Is He asking us to do the impossible? Or is He calling us to an intimate relationship that is impossible to attain without an abiding faith in His ability to bring it to pass?

          God is calling us to the ultimate journey; A journey to holiness. A journey back to Him. A magnificent journey of growth and redemption that leads us out of darkness and into His glorious light. A journey that requires a relentless faith that brings Him great pleasure.

If we will embrace this journey, we will behold His glory. His work in us will reflect His glory and light, showing others the path to holiness. This will advance the kingdom of God far more than us following a bunch of rules.

2 Corinthians 3:18 We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

          We must make a daily decision to present ourselves to God as a vessel He can use to move through. Every act of obedience leads us closer to His holiness. Every fruit of the Holy Spirit we produce contains the seed of holiness. It is only reasonable that we conduct ourselves as if we are already holy as He is holy.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation with a holy calling. We can no longer tolerate living in the defilement of the world. We must come out from among them and be separate so that the light of God can shine through our lives.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.” ¹⁷ Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” ¹⁸ “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

          It is time for the Church to arise and become everything that Christ has paid for. A separate, peculiar people that not only look different and behave differently but make a difference by our supernatural power and influence.

We must break fellowship with the world and be separate from it to have the influence necessary to change it. Our peculiarity, our royalty, and our supernatural authority must become evident to all. This will bear fruit that remains and give God great glory.

Spiritual Warfare #26 Eyes That See

          Now that we understand how to develop our spiritual ears, let’s focus on what causes us to have eyes that see.

For many years I prayed that God would help me see things, people, opportunities, and situations the way He sees them. That sounds like a pretty good prayer, don’t you think? I did too, until the Lord interrupted my prayer one day and said, “Jack, I don’t want you to pray that way anymore, instead, pray that you would see things the way I want you to see them.”

At first, I thought, “Isn’t that the same thing?” But He quickly showed me that it wasn’t. Man is not capable of seeing the way God sees. His ways and thought are so much higher than ours.

1 Samuel 16:9 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

  There is a way that God wants us to see everything and everyone. We are not capable of seeing how God sees because we are viewing life from the filter of two natures. The fallen nature we inherited from Adam, and the nature of God that we received at the new birth. Living in this incredible paradox demands that we adapt to seeing things from a very specific perspective called faith.

Faith is a perspective, not a tool to get our needs met. Faith is a very narrow way of seeing, thinking, believing, and speaking. Faith is the perspective that fills our entire being with light.

Matthew 6:22-24The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good (single), your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad (evil), your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! ²⁴ No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

          The word “good” in verse 22 is the Greek word “haplous.” It means single. It is used only one other time in Luke 11 in his account of this same passage. The word “bad” in verse 23 is the Greek word “poneros” and is always translated “evil, wicked, or wicked one.” Why is this important? Because anything other than having a single eyed, faith perspective is evil.

Paul said in Romans 14:23 … whatever is not from faith is sin.

          If we are not seeing from a faith perspective, we are seeing things from an evil, or wicked perspective. What we look at illuminates our entire being with what we see.       

          Look at Matthew 24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

          It is significant that this statement comes right after the instruction to have a single eye. How we see determines who we will serve.

          Mammon is often defined as money. But a more accurate definition would be avarice, or selfish desire. We don’t have the ability to serve money, but we can serve our selfish desires and lust for money, and other earthly things. There are only two masters available to serve. God and self. To serve self is to serve the Devil. It has always been that way.

            The only influence Satan can gain in our lives is through our selfish desires. In the garden of Eden, Satan deceived Eve into yielding to selfish desires. It all started when she looked at the fruit and found it desirable to eat and make one wise.

Galatians 3:6-7 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

          Satan did not ask her to bow down and worship him. He tricked her into being selfish and doing what she felt was good for herself. He caused her to look at and consider the wrong things and it led to her disobedience.

          We only need to see and know very little if we are living by faith. We are to walk in love believing the best of every person. If we saw what was in the hearts and minds of everyone it would be hard to believe the best of them. We only need to know the next step, the rest we walk out by faith, trusting that God knows best and that He only wants the best for us.

The Word of God gives us plenty of instruction on how we should see things, and if Gods Word abides in us, it filters everything we see with spiritual insight.

I believe now that asking God to help me see things the way He would have me see them is another way of asking for His wisdom. It also removes a huge burden to understand every detail. If God gave us every detail of every situation we would have no need for faith, and it would be impossible to please Him.

Hebrews 11:6 ~ But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

Just knowing that God is pleased with faith should give us comfort when we don’t know all the details. Faith will always consider the unseen realm no matter what is seen with the physical eyes. Faith is a perspective anchored in trust.

Paul gives a powerful lesson in Philippians about living with this perspective.

Philippians 4:6-8 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

If we practice verses 6 and 7, we qualify for supernatural peace. We need this supernatural peace to wage supernatural warfare. In verse 8 it gives us the instruction on what to do while we are trusting God and waiting for the next step. We fill our thoughts with believing the best, thinking the best, and expecting the best. It keeps our faith alive and makes our walk pleasing to God.

We don’t need to see how God sees. We only need to see enough to take the next step. Sometimes that step may look like the wrong one in the natural. Many times, that step will go against our natural understanding, but that is why supernatural peace passes our understanding. We must learn to recognize, and be led by peace.

Peace is to be the arbitrator of our lives, sitting as ruler over everything and every decision.

Colossians 3:15 ~ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

To walk by faith, to have eyes that see from a supernatural perspective, we must understand the peace of God and its function in our lives. The more we walk in peace, the less we will feel the need to know all the details, and we will be better equipped to live our lives with a single eye.

For more teaching on Spiritual Warfare, CLICK HERE.

Thank you for visiting truthpressure.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you.

JC

Spiritual Warfare #25 My Pet Sin

          Many of us have pets. Some kind of animal to keep, feed, and care for. We can become so close to our pets that we think of them as members of the family. They provide companionship and comfort when we are hurt, depressed, or suffering from anxiety. Pets are always there when we need them and they never fail to give us that dose of “feel good” when we seem to need it most.

          Many of us have sins we keep as pets. Familiar habits or old crisis mechanisms that give us relief, comfort, and satisfaction when our flesh is screaming at the top of its lungs to “FEED ME!” 

          A pet sin is the one we run to when we are tired or feeling weak. The sin we defend, protect, and get angry about when we are confronted about it.  A sin that torments us at our weakest point and yet the one we can’t seem to get free from. A sin that we easily yield to, even though we know we shouldn’t. A pet that we make provision for and feed in secret. We run to it for instant gratification and then feel guilty immediately after we yield to it.

It is possibly the most dangerous sin to our own souls, and one that can hinder our spiritual progress. It can destroys our confidence, compromise our witness, and keep us from realizing our potential.

          In spiritual warfare the greatest battles are always the internal ones, the battles that we fight when no one else is around. Even with help and accountability we must take up the sword of the Spirit for ourselves and conquer the things that torment us in our soul.

Before King David killed Goliath in front of two nations, he won victories over a lion and a bear when no one else was around. Getting victory over a lion and a bear is much like getting victory over a pet sin, and sometimes it can seem just as difficult. The victories we have in private prepares us for the type of victories that will change nations.

Galatians 5:16-18 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

          If we are battling to keep the flesh under control, struggling to deny it from having dominance in our lives, it is likely we have not given ourselves fully to walking in the Spirit. When we struggle with a certain sin that continues to trouble us, we must be honest with ourselves and be willing to make the changes necessary to get the victory. Walking in the Spirit has two distinct characteristics and can be easily measured in our lives. Freedom from pet sins must start with this simple, two part assessment;

1. Am walking faithfully in what I have learned from God’s written word?

           Obedience to what we learn from the Lord is the foundation of walking in the Spirit. This gives us the spiritual ears to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying in our hearts. If we do not start here, with this first step, our hearts will become hardened, our conscience will become seared, our spiritual ears will become deaf, and our spiritual eyes will be darkened.

This will prevent us from embracing the second step of walking in the Spirit which is hearing the spoken word of God, and being led by the Spirit.

     2. Am I walking faithfully in what I am hearing and perceiving, from God’s spoken word?

          Being watchful and attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit is the second step. Learning to live by the unction of the Holy Spirit, the leading of peace, being sensitive to the still small voice inside us, are all things we must develop and grow in. However, it is almost impossible to be successful in being led by the Spirit if we are not committed to obeying the written word.

God is always speaking to us in some way. Without our commitment to discover and obey what God has already said in His written word, we won’t have ears to hear what He speaks by the Spirit, or eyes to see when He is leading us by the Spirit. It all starts with our own personal relationship with the Bible.

Being a disciple is to live a life governed by the written word, as well as the spoken word. It is only then that we will become a healthy expression of the living word, Jesus Christ.

James 1:21-25 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

If we are not committed to doing the things we have learned from God’s written, and spoken word, we quickly become self-deceived. We forget who we are and why we are here. Our identity comes into question and we loose the ability to discern truth.

Self deception then becomes our reality. We begin to live a lie, believing we are disciples of Christ yet refusing to follow Him. We are no longer walking in the Spirit so we continue to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. We hang on to parts of our old nature and shackle ourselves to our own deception. We get stuck in a cycle of sin and make it our pet.

        Flesh will always war against the things of the Spirit because of its fallen nature. Everyone deals with this, even Paul the Apostle had these battles and he describes them in Romans 7:

Romans 7:16-25 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Pet sins hold us captive to the flesh and the law of sin and death. They literally hold us captive to the Old Testament law so the we never fully embrace New Testament grace. It is one of Satan’s most prized deceptions.

          Even after we cast those pet sins out of our house they will try to drop by for a visit once in a while. They will ask us to feed them and be looking for a way to get back into our house. They may even have several of their buddies with them looking to be fed as well. The thing is, its not really our house, its God’s house, and He has a no pets rule written into the contract.

Flesh is our enemy

Romans 8:6-8  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸ So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

The word “enmity” in verse 7 literally means hostile opposition, or hatred toward God. The carnal mind, our flesh, is God’s enemy, therefore it should be our enemy. We must all come to the place where we see our pet sins as our enemy.

God has promised to deliver us from our enemies, not our pets!

Many of us don’t realize we are feeding our carnal, fleshly desires. We think that what we are doing is no big deal. IT IS A BIG DEAL! Let me give you a some examples; If you have been delivered from drugs and you know that it has a strong pull on your flesh, any thing that would stir up old memories and desires should be avoided. Movies with drug abuse, talking about how you used to use, or even driving through the part of town where you used to buy drugs can all be triggers that let “the cat” in the door.

If you struggle with overeating, or binging junk food, it is much easier to win the battle if you stay out of the junk-food isle in the grocery store. If it stimulates any of your five senses, it WILL begin to pull on you. If the shortest route to your destination is through an area that stirs up memories of past sins, TAKE ANOTHER ROUTE! The long way is better than the wrong way.

What about being addicted to entertainment? Surfing the internet, social media, video games? Wasting hours every day on mindless, foolishness? Is that really harmless? Or is it stealing the life right out of you, keeping you from things more important and warring against your soul?

If you think it is no big deal, or if you think you are strong enough to handle it. You may wake up one day and realize that the little thing that is “no big deal,” has now become your very large pet and is demanding to be fed! If flesh is the enemy of God, it is our enemy as well. If we feed our enemy he gets stronger and has more power to do us harm. If we feed our spirit, it will grow stronger and overcome the flesh.

What we feed grows. What we starve dies.

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

This verse of scripture may seem like a two step program to victory over the devil but it is not. It is a one step program. Submitting to God IS resisting the devil. Remember that the enemy has already been defeated by Jesus. Submitting to God, by obedience to His word, embraces, and enforces that victory and causes that pet to run right out the door.

“Pet sins takes us farther than we want to go, keeps us longer than we want to stay, and costs us more than we want to pay.”

For more teaching on Spiritual Warfare, CLICK HERE.

Thank you for visiting truthpressure.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you.

JC

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