Category Archives: The Third Day

The Bridegroom Cometh!

by Michael
The Fall of the Church

Destruction of the Church of Reconciliation in Berlin’s ‘death zone’ in January 1985 (Picture credits https://www.rbb-online.de)

But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. (Matt 25:4-6, KJV)

The last call of God, as judgment is pending, is a call to Himself. Here then is the call of God in our time. The last movement of the people of God is to Himself: not to a movement as such; not to a teaching or interpretation of truth; not to a sect or party; not to an enterprise or mission – but to Christ. The final true and Divine movement is to the Lord Himself. The sheer pressure of the conditions in the gathering storm and tempest will demand a leaving of all lesser interests and objects, however good a purpose they may have served hitherto, and a moving toward the Lord Himself. ‘Things’ divide; the Lord unites. ‘Things’ must pass; the Lord abides. The time comes when all the means and accessories which the Lord has sovereignly used will cease to avail. This includes all the organized side of Christianity, and the Lord will force the issue as to how much there really is of Himself. ~ T. Austin-Sparks (1)

Someone pointed out that God does not tell time in hours, days, or even years like we do, but in ages (See Ephesians 3:1-6) or dispensations. One of these ages lasted from the fall of man to the flood, the next one from the flood to Moses and the age of the law. That age came to a close 2000 years ago on the Day of Pentecost when God poured out His Spirit on all flesh (See Acts 2:16-22 and Ezek. 36: 26-27), not just on an appointed few as in the Old Covenant.

With all this in mind, think of how traumatic it was at the end of each of these ages–a world ending flood, Egypt all but destroyed, the destruction of the temple, and the end of Israel as a nation and the Jewish worship and sacrificial system, etc. What do you think will be the sign of the end of the “church age” before God ushers in what I believe to be “The Age of the Bride and the Bridegroom”? I believe it will be a complete destruction of this false system built by men around the gospel of Jesus Christ, coinciding with the raising up of His bride as she has made herself ready to go out to meet the Bridegroom in grace and Truth.

“…and the light of a lamp may be appearing in you nevermore; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride should be heard in you nevermore; for your merchants were the magnates of the earth, for by your enchantment all nations were deceived.” (Rev 18:23, CLV)

What started out as a comment on an inspired article by Susanne Schuberth eventually turned into this article. The above quote from T. Austin-Sparks also came from her article. Take a look at the above picture that she chose for her blog post.(2) It shows the destruction of “The Church of Reconciliation” in the “Death Zone” of Berlin. How apropos! For the past few years almost all denominational leadership have been striving to bring their organizations into reconciliation in a sort of humanistic unity. Their efforts are failing  to come into agreement with one another no matter how many doctrines they do away with, for unity in doctrine does not make a people of one heart and one spirit. Jesus came not to bring peace but the sword of division! All man-made sects will be divided against one another even if they are forced under one title and human head, just as it was at the tower of Babel. Babylon the Great is the end result of their efforts– religions that have formed around “Christianity” — and God’s judgment is on it. Why? Jesus put it this way, “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matt 15:13, KJV). God is ushering in a new dispensation. The sword is necessary because the previous administrations are so embedded that they never willingly let go and follow His lead!

Peter wrote,

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Pt 3:8 ESV)

A day is as a thousand years with God. We are also about to go into the third millennium of the church age, but not without a bang! Hosea prophesied,

“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.” (Hos 6:1-2, KJ2000)

Yes He is tearing us, the church! It is not the devil, ISIS, communism or anything else. These man-made temples that Christendom is so focused on are coming to an end along with the political systems that support them. Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus command the apostles to go forth and build churches and organizations to support them so Christians would have a structured form and place to worship! Quite the opposite! He stated that all worship would no longer be in holy places, but true worship of His Father would be in the Spirit and in verity, truth in our inward parts, our hearts. He also said that the temple system would be torn down and that His temple would be made of living stones, the very hearts of the true worshipers!

So, all that said, after two days (2000 years) of Him tearing us, He will heal us and bind up our wounds. In the third day, not at the end of it, He will raise us up that we, His bride, may dwell in His sight. Jesus is coming back for His perfect bride who is filled with the oil of His Spirit, not a divided and self-destructive church system that is so focused on its own greatness and need to survive that it cannot see Him coming!

Look up, dear saints of God who truly love the Son, because your redemption draws near!

(1) http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/002100.html

(2) https://enteringthepromisedland.wordpress.com/2016/01/21/is-the-church-age-over/#more-2200

A New Day Is Coming

by Michael

God has always called only a small remnant to go ahead of the rest by faith (or go into battle as with the story of Gideon for the sake of others). Most often the people that they risk all for to help don’t appreciate them and sometimes they even try to kill them as it was with Jesus. A small percentage of the whole of what is called “church” these days have been called out (ekklesia) to bear the brunt of the battle and pay the price of following Christ and obeying His voice. It is not a thing to get proud about as some who claim to be in the lead or “on the cutting edge,” but rather it is a labor of love both for and with Jesus and for the rest of His people. After Gideon and the 300 God chose won the battle by letting their lights shine and standing firm against the enemy, God did the rest and their enemy was scattered…. all while they rested in Him and watched!

Years ago a sister who didn’t know me spoke a word to me saying, “I have never heard God say this before. I just heard Him say about you, ‘You will boldly go where no one has gone before.'” I laughed and told her that during  the Vietnam War I served on a ship called the U. S. S. Enterprise. A couple years after that I was sitting in a meeting and heard the Lord say, “You have not been this way before.” Yesterday, twenty years later, God put the two words together in my heart and showed me what is going on in the Spirit in this hour. He has His “Gideon’s army” that He has called out to lead the way for the rest in this New Covenant people as well. God told Joshua just before they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, “You have not been this way before (see Joshua chapter two).” The priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant went into the Jordan River first and just as their feet touched the water the river backed up and they went out into the middle of the stream bed with the ark on dry ground and stood there while the others crossed 2000 cubits (3/5 of a mile) down stream, also on dry ground, just as God instructed. After everyone had crossed (about 2 1/2 million people) they were instructed to place 12 stones in the middle of the river bed where the arc had stood and to take 12 more from the river bed and stack them on the west bank in the Promise Land as a monument of that famous day for future generations to see where they had crossed in such a miraculous way.

These priests also had to go first and stand in that dangerous place so others could pass safely. They boldly went where no man had ever stood before. The people passed 2000 cubits down stream from the arc as God commanded. Figuring a year for a cubit, the church has been in a spiritual wilderness (“the church in the wilderness”)  for 2000 years and is now about to cross over once again. Stephen, speaking to the leaders of the Jews spoke of Jesus in Moses saying, “This is he (Jesus), that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and [with] our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust [him] from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt…” (Act 7:38-39 KJV). Men’s hearts who rebel against Christ never change.

Consider these two passages with all this in mind…

Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. (Hos 6:1-3 KJ2000)

But the heavens and the earth, which now are, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2Pe 3:7-10 KJ2000)

After two days (two thousand years) He will revive us! And in (not after) the third day (third millennium since Christ’s advent on earth) He will raise us up and we will dwell in His sight! LET US PRESS ON TO KNOW THE LORD! We are about to see a NEW morning as the beginning of the third day dawns upon us.

As the election in the U.S. was going on on November 6th George Davis and I felt such a peace. It was like we were safely in another world watching it all happen. We were! We were dwelling in heavenly places in Christ and not in the kingdoms of men! That peace continues regardless of what is going on in the kingdoms of men. It is for “a time such as this” that many of us have been called as His kingdom of priests bear the vision of the New Covenant (See Jer. 33:31-33 and Hebrews chapter eight) for others. We hear “restoration” and “He will raise us up.” God will arise and his enemies will be scattered. As it was with Jesus so it is with us. What has been dead (His man handled church) will live again in HIS newness of life in His new land, that Zion which is from above.

I also heard Him say yesterday, “Haman is about to hang himself on the scaffold he has made to hang God’s people on (see the story of Esther).”  Remember, Satan and his cohorts always over play their hand and their evil plans against God’s people are always foiled. I also heard “Aslan is on the move. There is a thaw coming and no longer will it be perpetual winter with no Christmas” (from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis). When the enemy comes in like a flood, God always raises up HIS standard. His holy people, the ekklesia of Christ, will prevail as they rest in Him.