While seeking the Father for what lies ahead in 1999, this
is what He revealed to me.
God will refine in ’99
1999 will be a year of separation—separation in every
sense of the word. There will be a sifting, a winnowing. Discerning of spirits will reveal the hearts
of many and there will be a rupture in the church. There will be a departure of some from the true
church of Jesus Christ and a setting apart for service for others. These others will be distinguished
from those who have departed from the true faith. They will not be subject to the traditions and controls of others. They will be distinct and recognized as differing from those who continue in traditions
and controls.
The scriptures I received for 1999 are Amos 9:9 and Psalm
99.
I saw a vision of tall thunderheads, tall white clouds with
dark areas in them, against a blue sky with a crisp easterly breeze blowing. That tells me that the
thunderheads are coming from heaven, filled with moisture, and as they come there will be lightnings,
and then there will be thunder. The lightnings are the powerful illuminations, the revelations the
prophets will receive from God relative to what He is currently doing. The thunders are the prophets
speaking out these powerful revelations. The prevailing easterlies are the constant wind of the Holy
Spirit. These are all gathering and they are coming in to bring an outpouring of the latter rain.
And I saw two sevens’s. This could possibly refer
to the seven seals (Revelation 6) and seven trumpets (Revelation 8). If this is correct it would indicate
that we are coming to the time of the beginning of the seven seals and seven trumpets of judgement
spoken of in these verses.
While this may suggest an impending gloom and doom
scenario, we must remember that “...where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”
(Romans 5:20). And that “...mercy rejoiceth (triumphs) against judgment” (James 2:13).
That judgement is coming, is sure. But that many have an opportunity to escape that judgement
through God’s grace and mercy is also very clear. The intercessory prayers of the saints are
extremely important at this time.
The Father then spoke to me:
I am gathering My prophets unto unity.
I am dispersing those [prophets] who refuse to hear My voice.
I am laying down a time line for those [prophets] who hear My voice—a period in which
My instructions must be spoken out according to that timeliness. A time line of progressive revelation
rather
than a tremendous all-encompassing revelation of that which is to come. I am laying down a time
line which will establish progressive steps and which will provide an opportunity for My prophets
to speak out that which I have revealed unto them according to My timing. It is a time of greater
obedience for those to whom I have entrusted My spoken word.
There will be a delay of judgement according to the petitions of mercy that I hear from My
people.
I will bring a rod of chastisement and correction unto those nations whose leaders continue to
refuse Me and My word.
Many of My warriors have been refined, as pure gold is refined, and these warriors shall lead
many into battles of victory. And I have anointed many to battle and to war with praise unto Me. And
I am releasing the spirit of the psalmist unto My church that they may speak My oracles along with
My anointed praise warriors and together they shall destroy the strongholds of the enemy.
There shall be much weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth by many at that which I am releasing
unto My church. For they shall continue to proclaim that the old is better than the new.
I am shaking many of the leaders throughout the strata of your society and through this I will
gain the attention of many and they shall repent and they shall turn unto Me. And the extent of the
effectiveness of that shaking shall be in part determined by the prayers of My saints.
There are those to whom I have given much and I require much. But they have given little. And
to those who have much, as they continue to be disobedient and refuse to give much, so shall I take
from them what they have and give unto those who have even more. To those who have little I will
give much when they repent and ask, seek and knock of Me that which they desire.
Many are backsliding out of My church because of the weakness of their faith and the sins and
hypocrisy of their leaders. If they will call out to me I will save them all from their sins when they
repent.
The floods you have seen in other lands shall soon come upon your lands if the saints of those
lands do not call unto Me in repentance to heal their lands of the many sins that beset them.
I have seen and I have heard the afflictions upon My people, the horrible atrocities that have
been done unto them. And yet, in My mercy, will I withhold judgement upon those who have so
persecuted My precious saints. And I will withhold that judgement until you have presented them
with the truth of the gospel of My Son Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
For I shall sow in mercy, but I shall reap in justice.
The Father also says to His church:
1999 will be a year of polarization of several different
groups, many of whom have their own interests at heart. But among these groups there shall be another group which has My interests at heart. And they will seek Me earnestly, adhering to the standards of righteousness that I have given in My word, and through My Son, and through My Holy
Spirit.
And as they examine and reexamine the righteousness
that I have spelled out for them they shall see and recognize the areas of unrighteousness within
themselves. And they shall repent of these things and they will seek Me and My word, and My Son
and My Spirit to purify and cleanse them so that they may truly be citizens of My kingdom. And I
shall welcome them and I will heal them and I will restore them.
And these shall be persecuted by the other groups that
are pursuing their own interests. They will be mocked, and ridiculed and scoffed at. But they will
have been prepared for this by a knowledge of My word and of My Son and of My Spirit. So shall
they be strengthened. And they shall carry about with them, the manifestation of My presence. And
they shall build My church, they shall strengthen the foundation, the foundation of old shall be
strengthened by them as they continue to build because the cornerstone of their foundation is My
Son, Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
And so shall many see the strength of that building, of
that temple, and they shall realize that their self-interests are built upon a sand foundation. And they
shall come, and they shall be taught by those who have My interests in their hearts. And many shall
repent and return to the foundation which I have established. And so shall these many now continue
to build together My temple. And it will not be easy but it will bring great satisfaction to those who
labor in the building of My temple.
And those who have built upon a sand foundation shall
reap the rewards of those who build upon the sand. And those who build upon My foundation shall
reap My rewards, says the Lord.
Amos There are some who assign the period in Amos 9:11-15
exclusively to the period of the millennium, however this appears to be a severe limitation on the
broad application of the prophetic word of God.
It is of interest to note that Amos was a herdsman and a
gatherer of sycamore figs. His name means burdensome, i.e., he was a burden bearer. He was called
by God to be a prophet during the reign of Uzziah and was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea.
As a herdsman (a cattle tender), he was among a group
of herdsmen (a spotter of sheep or cattle, i.e., the owner or tender who thus marks them by branding).
As a gatherer of sycamore figs his job was to cultivate,
gather or seek out figs and then to pinch or cut the figs, which was a process necessary to ripen the
fruit.
In the first eight chapters and chapter nine through to verse
10, Amos’ overriding theme is the justice and righteousness of God. He speaks of judgement
on the surrounding nations, delivers three sermons of judgement to Israel, and has five visions of
judgement. It is only in chapter nine, verses 11-15 that he speaks of the restoration of Israel.
Amos lived in a time of stability and economic prosperity
in a nation at its peak of power and affluence. He strongly denounced the religious indifference of
the people, the corruption and hypocrisy of its leaders and the rampant social injustice that resulted
from self-serving luxury.
He was violently opposed by institutionalized religion
because of his Godly prophetic stance.
There is a curious parallel between the condition of today’s church of Jesus Christ and the current state of the nations of the world in the book of
Amos. Also in the current call of God for His prophets:
“Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was
no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore
fruit: And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto
my people Israel” (Amos 7:14-15).
God has reached into the lives of those pursuing their
vocations in the world and has called them to prophesy unto His people. They are consumed by a
fervor for the justice and righteousness of God. They are keenly aware of the necessity for
God’s judgement. Many have had a difficult time dealing with their finely honed sense of
God’s justice and righteousness and judgement. And He has been preparing them, through
their circumstances and environmental influences to deal with these issues in His love, grace and
mercy.
Many that have been called are now being commissioned.
Others will follow. And God will continue to call such as prophets who bear a burden for the church
and the world. They are being called in a time when other prophets of greater renown are their contemporaries. They will have a shepherds heart and they will leave their mark upon those they disciple.
They will, by supernatural pinching or cutting, be instrumental in maturing the saints into the ripeness
of their gifts.
They will thematically declare the justice and righteousness
of God. And they will speak of judgement on the nations, they will preach to the church, and they
will have visions of God’s judgment. They will be violently opposed by institutionalized religion because of their Godly prophetic stance. But the bottom line of their prophetic ministry will
be the restoration of the church unto the fullness of God’s love, grace, mercy, wisdom, judgement and justice.
Amos 9:9-15: 9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel
among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword,
which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that
is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the
days of old:
12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of
all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
13 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall
drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of
Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink
the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall
no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
Note the sequence of events following verse 9, particularly
relative to the tabernacle of David. While this scripture is understood to apply to the natural Israel,
it also has implications for the church.
The following is quoted from my book, “Growth
in Gifts” in an effort to expand upon the significance of the fullness
of the raising up of the tabernacle of David that is fallen.
“The Tabernacle Of David Nathan the prophet told David of God’s plans
for Solomon to build His temple (II Samuel 7; I Chronicles 17). Solomon received
the Word of the Lord (I Kings 6:11-14), and subsequently dedicated the temple (I
Kings 8; II Chronicles 5-7). David appointed
Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord in the tent he had prepared for
it (II Samuel 6:17; I Chronicles 15:1; 16:1,4-7,37). These ministers continued
their work in Solomons temple when it was completed and the ark transferred into
it (I Chronicles 6:31,32; I Kings 8:1-6; II Chronicles 5:1,5). In I Chronicles
22-29 multiplied thousands of Levites were deployed by David to do and oversee
the work of the service of the house of the Lord. There were officers and
judges, gatekeepers, praise musicians and priests. Levites were also placed in
charge of the temple treasuries. In addition,
other Israelites were placed over the king’s army. This consisted of 12 units of
24,000 men (I Chronicles 27:1-15), and there were leaders appointed over the
tribes of Israel (verse 16). Another leader was appointed to be in charge of the
king’s treasuries, and another over the storehouses in the fields, cities,
villages and castles (verse 25). There were those who tilled the soil (verse
26), were in charge over the vineyards, over the produce of the vineyards and
the wine cellars (verse 27). Others were in charge over the olive and sycamore
trees, the stores of oil (verse 28), the cattle in the plains, and the cattle in
the valleys (verse 29). Others were also over the camels, the donkeys (verse 30)
and the flocks (verse 31). All these were the
rulers (having and exercising dominion) of the substance which was King David’s
(verse 31). There was also a counselor and a tutor to the king’s sons (verse 32)
a counselor and companion to the king, and a general for the king’s army (verses
33,34).
Every one of these rulers offered
willingly to consecrate his service unto the Lord, by giving of their substance
(I Chronicles 29:6-9). A Literal Application
God will “raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen” (Amos 9:11) (see also Isaiah 9:6,7; Zechariah 12:7,8; Luke 1:30-33). David was anointed by God as (1) a shepherd (I Samuel 17:34-36), (2) a musician (I Samuel 16:14-23), (3) a poet (the Psalms of David), (4) a general (II Samuel 8,10), (5) a king (I Samuel 16:12,13; II Samuel 5:1-5), (6) a prophet (Acts 2:29-31, e.g., prophetical references to the Messiah made in the Psalms: 16:10; 22; 27:12; 34:20; 35:19; 38:13,14; 41:9; 68:18; 69:4,21; 109:3-5; 110:1,4), and (7) a politician (II Samuel 1-10; I Chronicles 11-29).
This passage of scripture has application to the literal Israel. It has been presented as an antitype of kingly order and applied to the institutional church. As such it would incorporate the shepherd, music, poetry, generalship, prophetical and political abilities of King David among God’s people with scriptural precedents for order.
The question arises: can this scripture in Amos be applied literally to the institutional church today?
In Acts 2-7, we see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the believers at Pentecost and the foundations of the tabernacle of David being put into place. Powerful anointing, preaching and fellowship were accompanied by common possessions, healings, prayers and authority structure. With the coming of persecution in Acts 8:1, all were scattered throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. As the church spread and grew, the conversion of Paul to evangelize the Gentiles stimulated the growth of the body of Christ. All of the epistles, especially Paul’s, have helped the church to continue to build the antitypical tabernacle of David.
If the institutional church returns to foundational principles and building materials of the tabernacle of David, and rejects secular influences, it would grow according to scriptural patterns. However, this is not the case today.
As mentioned, the institutional church preaches another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel based upon fantasy-based “new revelations” which violate clear scriptural guidelines.
Because of this today’s institutional church is “anathema,” i.e., cursed, and displays a distinct lack of love for Jesus as Creator, Saviour, Lord, Master, Redeemer and Teacher.
Jamieson, Fausett and Brown Commentary discusses Amos 11-15: 11. In that day—quoted by James (Ac 15:16, 17), “After this,” that is, in the dispensation of Messiah (Ge 49:10; Ho 3:4, 5; Joe 2:28; 3:1). tabernacle of David—not “the house of David,” which is used of his affairs when prospering (2Sa 3:1), but the tent or booth, expressing the low condition to which his kingdom and family had fallen in Amos’ time, and subsequently at the Babylonian captivity before the restoration; and secondarily, in the last days preceding Israel’s restoration under Messiah, the antitype to David (Ps 102:13, 14; Jer 30:9; Eze 34:24; 37:24; see on Isa 12:1). The type is taken from architecture (Eph 2:20). The restoration under Zerubbabel can only be a partial, temporary fulfilment; for it did not include Israel, which nation is the main subject of Amos’ prophecies, but only Judah; also Zerubbabel’s kingdom was not independent and settled; also all the prophets end their prophecies with Messiah, whose advent is the cure of all previous disorders. “Tabernacle” is appropriate to Him, as His human nature is the tabernacle which He assumed in becoming Immanuel, “God with us” (Joh 1:14). “Dwelt,” literally, tabernacled “among us” (compare Re 21:3). Some understand “the tabernacle of David” as that which David pitched for the ark in Zion, after bringing it from Obed-edom’s house. It remained there all his reign for thirty years, till the temple of Solomon was built, whereas the “tabernacle of the congregation” remained at Gibeon (2Ch 1:3), where the priests ministered in sacrifices (1Ch 16:39). Song and praise was the service of David’s attendants before the ark (Asaph, &c.): a type of the gospel separation between the sacrificial service (Messiah’s priesthood now in heaven) and the access of believers on earth to the presence of God, apart from the former (compare 2Sa 6:12-17; 1Ch 16:37-39; 2Ch 1:3). breaches thereof—literally, “of them,” that is, of the whole nation, Israel as well as Judah. as in days of old—as it was formerly in the days of David and Solomon, when the kingdom was in its full extent and undivided. 12. That they may possess remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen—“Edom,” the bitter foe, though the brother, of Israel; therefore to be punished (Am 1:11, 12), Israel shall be lord of the “remnant” of Edom left after the punishment of the latter. James quotes it, “That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles,” &c. For “all the heathen” nations stand on the same footing as Edom: Edom is the representative of them all. The residue or remnant in both cases expresses those left after great antecedent calamities (Ro 9:27; Zec 14:16). Here the conversion of “all nations” (of which the earnest was given in James’s time) is represented as only to be realized on the re-establishment of the theocracy under Messiah, the Heir of the throne of David (Am 9:11). The possession of the heathen nations by Israel is to be spiritual, the latter being the ministers to the former for their conversion to Messiah, King of the Jews; just as the first conversions of pagans were through the ministry of the apostles, who were Jews. Compare Isa 54:3, “thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles” (compare Isa 49:8; Ro 4:13). A remnant of Edom became Jews under John Hyrcanus, and the rest amalgamated with the Arabians, who became Christians subsequently. which are called by my name—that is, who belong to Me, whom I claim as Mine (Ps 2:8); in the purposes of electing grace, God terms them already called by His name. Compare the title, “the children,” applied by anticipation, Heb 2:14. Hence as an act of sovereign grace, fulfilling His promise, it is spoken of God. Proclaim His title as sovereign, “the Lord that doeth this” (“all these things,” Ac 15:17, namely, all these and such like acts of sovereign love). 13. the days come—at the future restoration of the Jews to their own land. ploughman shall overtake reaper treader of grapes him that soweth—fulfilling Le 26:5. Such shall be the abundance that the harvest and vintage can hardly be gathered before the time for preparing for the next crop shall come. Instead of the greater part of the year being spent in war, the whole shall be spent in sowing and reaping the fruits of earth. Compare Isa 65:21-23, as to the same period. soweth seed—literally, “draweth it forth,” namely, from the sack in order to sow it. mountains drop sweet wine—an appropriate image, as the vines in Palestine were trained on terraces at the sides of the hills. 14. build the waste cities— (Isa 61:4; Eze 36:33-36). 15. plant them no more be pulled up— (Jer 32:41). thy God—Israel’s; this is the ground of their restoration, God’s original choice of them as His.
While it may be commendable that the institutional church wants to apply this passage of scripture as a promise to the institutional church, it can’t be done by the will of men today. As described in Amos this application to Israel will be by the power, will and sovereignty of God Himself. How futile for mankind to attempt to make this prophecy fit their apostasy in today’s institutional church! The overcoming remnant body of Christ, those who will become the bride of Christ will see the “spirit” of this prophecy occur among themselves as they continue in obedience to the rules of the kingdom of God and His Christ, as given to them in the word of God, the Holy Bible. The “wannabees” will simply institute some type of fleshly application that meets the parameters of human wisdom, which according to James is earthly, sensual and demonic. Isa 30:27-33 (NIV) 27 See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire.
28 His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck.
He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads
them astray.
29 And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy
festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with flutes to the mountain of the Lord, to the
Rock of Israel.
30 The Lord will cause men to hear his majestic voice
and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst,
thunderstorm and hail.
31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria; with his
scepter he will strike them down.
32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them with his punishing
rod will be to the music of tambourines and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his
arm.
33 Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready
for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath
of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.
In this passage of scripture Isaiah is establishing
God’s authority over nations as He pours out His wrath upon His gathered enemies. He describes in verse 28 how he will shake (sift) the nations in the sieve of destruction. God will put a bit
in the jaws of the peoples (nations) that will cause them to be led away into error and following the
antichrist.
Note in verses 29 and 32 the prominence of music, singing
and, rejoicing of the saints. This depicts the importance of praise and worship unto God. In verse
30 it appears that the singing and music of verse 29 actually evokes the majestic voice of the Lord
Himself and that He will cause us to hear His voice and to see His arm coming down in judgement.
Verse 32 states that the cadence of the
Lord’s punishing strokes will be to the beat of the music of the saints.
Verses 30 to 32 speak of the battle of Armageddon. Assyria
is a type of which the antichrist is antitypical. Tophet is the valley of Hinnom, where sacrifices were
offered to Moloch. Here, it represents the cruelty and horror of sacrificing, by burning, children to
the false god Moloch. (Jeremiah 19). It is at Armageddon that God’s people will be delivered
from the massed armies of the antichrist.
All of this will occur just prior to the millennium. Psalm 99:1-9 (ASV) 1 Jehovah reigneth; let the peoples tremble: He sitteth (above) the cherubim; let the earth
be moved.
2 Jehovah is great in Zion; And he is high above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name: Holy is he.
4 The king’s strength also loveth justice; Thou dost establish equity; Thou
executest justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt ye Jehovah our God, And worship at his footstool: Holy is he.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, And Samuel among them that call upon his name;
They called upon Jehovah, and he answered them.
7 He spake unto them in the pillar of cloud: They kept his testimonies, And the statute
that he gave them.
8 Thou answeredst them, O Jehovah our God: Thou wast a God that forgavest them,
Though thou tookest vengeance of their doings.
9 Exalt ye Jehovah our God, And worship at his holy hill; For Jehovah our God is holy.
This Psalm reminds us that God reigns and He is great.
He loves justice, equity and righteousness, and we are to worship Him.
It also mentions Moses, Aaron and Samuel and that God
forgave them (or Israel, of which they were a part) of some of their doings, although He took vengeance, i.e., punished them. The mention of Moses, Aaron and Samuel brings a specific focus
upon their lives, whether as individuals, or as a part of Israel.
Moses and Aaron were both guilty of not specifically
obeying God. As a result they did not get to see the promised land. In addition, Aaron was, among
other things, responsible for the golden calf, which represented not only an idol, but multiple gods,
although he was not specifically judged for this. (Numbers 20:2-13, 23-28; Deuteronomy chapter
34; Exodus chapter 32).
Samuel, while nothing is explicitly stated, was evidently
held responsible for the conduct of his sons. He had appointed them as judges over Israel and they
did not follow in the way of Samuel but, rather, took bribes and perverted justice. This and the fear
of the nation of Ammon caused the people to desire a king. (I Samuel chapters 8 and 12).
So we see Moses’ anger causing his disobedience
to God, of which Aaron was a part also.
We see Aaron, party to disobedience to God, and leading
the people of Israel into polytheism and idolatry.
We see Samuel, who somehow caused or allowed his sons
to become corrupt with bribes and perverted justice, causing the people to desire a king during a time
of national crisis. This was a direct rejection of the kingship of God. The Lord told the people, through
Samuel, of the consequences of having a king, but the people still insisted on a king.
Those consequences were that the king would take away
their children (sons and daughters) and use them for forced labor, he would unjustly take a share of
their property and possessions and tax them on the rest, and they would become slaves of the king.
Samuel further told the people that they would cry out against their king, but the Lord would not listen
to them.
Through this Psalm, we are reminded that God reigns in
justice, equity and righteousness, and we are to worship Him.
We are also reminded that our leaders, both those chosen
by God and those chosen by men (within the church and outside of the church) will be punished by
God for their disobedience unto God, for leading the people into polytheism and idolatry and for not
being diligent in raising their children up to serve God properly.
There is also a reminder that in rejecting the kingship of
God Himself, and serving another through our insistence on placing a secular or church
“king” over us, that we will lose our children to forced labor, we will suffer unjust loss
of property and possessions, and unfair taxation and we will become slaves to those we so enthrone
as king over our lives.
Luke 22:31-32 (KJV) 31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath
desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and
when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
In verse 31 Jesus calls Peter by the name of Simon. Simon
is from the Hebrew Shimon, which means “hearing” or “hearken.” Jesus
had already named him Peter and the Bible records his name as such in verse eight of chapter 22.
And when Jesus later addressed him again in verse 34, He again called him Peter.
The word “you” in verse 31, used twice, is
plural meaning “you all.” In verse 32 (thou) it is singular.
Whenever Jesus says something twice, it has a significance.
Besides the significance that it will happen very soon, there appears to be a reason for using the name
Simon rather than Peter.
Peter had already heard the voice of the Father Who revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). Here Jesus is emphasizing to Peter
that he again, must hear or hearken to the voice of God, as he will be sifted by satan. Notice that Jesus
allowed the sifting stating that He had prayed for him that his faith not fail and that he would later
strengthen the brethren (the body of Christ).
So also must we as this time of sifting comes upon us shift
our spiritual beings into a hearing mode. And we must listen to the voice of the Father. And we (all,
plural) will maintain our faith and later, when we have turned about, or turned towards
(“converted”) our God and Father with a new perspective, we will strengthen the body
of Christ, our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
John the Baptist, said:
Matthew 3:11-12 (KJV) 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but
he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge
his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
This sifting, or winnowing, that is coming should be no
surprise to us.
I sense the Father’s heart in this matter of judgement. The Father’s heart is love, and He Personified this love in Jesus Christ, His only begotten
Son. God’s character is love and His compassion displays his love and mercy. However, there
are many who attempt to ignore the conscience of God, i.e., His wisdom, judgement and justice.
(Justice is the use of authority and power to uphold that which is good). God will not ignore His own
justice, which is beyond our human comprehension. Therefore as an essential characteristic of God,
He must judge, as a God of justice. And I will add that I have found a kind of “holy reluctance” on the part of the Father and the Son to judge. I am quoting below from my book
“Growth in Goodness” in which I mentioned this.
“[Those who do not believe on Jesus are judged
(John 3:17,18, where krino is translated “condemn(ed)” and verse 19 states the
reason. Jesus did not come into the world to judge the world, but to save it (John 3:17; 12:47). The
Father does not now actively judge but has placed that task into the hands of Jesus (Acts
17:31—Psalms 9:8; 96:13; 98:9), Who has stated that His Word will judge (John 5:22-27;
12:47-50). The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds us of His Words (John 14:16,17,26; 15:26; 16:7,13).
Therefore final judgment exercised after the second coming of Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46; John
5:22-30; 8:26; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Romans 2:16; 14:9-12; I Corinthians 4:5; II Timothy 4:1; I Peter
4:5; Revelation 20:11-15) will be according to His Word].”
So our God of love, grace, mercy and wisdom has relegated
judgment, ultimately to His written word to bring about justice.
God loves us. Let us never forget it.
