I was reading today about a subject that has been somewhat confusing for me during all of the years since I became a believer.  That’s over 30 years now.  When I don’t understand something, I usually put it aside and let the Holy Spirit bring about revelation in His timing.  I seek the Word of God for understanding and I glean revelation by those who also seek God for wisdom and understanding.  When something witnesses in my spirit, I know that it is then time for YHVH to bring revelation by way of confirmation and understanding of certain Scripture passages that I had set aside previously.  You see, I am not one of those who believes what every man teaches.  I believe that as human beings we think we may have a handle on a certain belief because it has been handed down to us through generations of other believers.  But all in all, man’s tradition will always fail and that is because we are all humans and not God.  Of course, each one of us feels we have the correct answer but we must let the Holy Spirit guide us into all understanding and truth.  That means if we are wrong, admit it.  Tell others that you were wrong and make things right between your brothers and sisters.

Several months back I was attending a small conference in Virginia.  I was spending some quiet time early in the morning out on the veranda of my motel room.  I was reading in Daniel 12 because I felt compelled by the Lord to go there and read.  Now mind you, end time prophecy and events yet to take place were somewhat confusing to me over the years.  So I never really got into a deep study simply because I did not feel the unction of the Holy Spirit to do so.  What with the current events taking place these past few years though, I had been more interested and began to search out what others had been writing on the subject.  As I was reading I came to verse 7 and began reading, “Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand..”.  All of a sudden in the early morning quietness I heard my name.  It sounded like it was coming from behind me so I looked around but saw nothing.  I didn’t hear it again and so I went on reading.  But in the back of my mind, I was wondering what this was all about.  Was it the Lord calling to me?  And if so, what did He want me to know?  Since I didn’t hear anything more, I let it lay and continued to ponder it as the days and weeks went by.  Of course I began a more intense investigation into what the Lord was saying; becoming more aware of current world events and how they were seemingly lining up with end time prophecies spoken of in the Scriptures.

One of the things that I could never understand was the seven year tribulation of events and who would be involved.  I had heard so many different teachings over the years and none of them matched, so I just let them go; not having any real convicting belief as to whether they were correct interpretations or not.  It was not time for YHVH to reveal those theories to me.  As of late though, He has been giving me more understanding as to what the truth is, not only through the writings of a few individuals, but confirmation of these writings in the Word of God.  I thank God that He is revealing Himself to a remnant who will discern and understand the times so that the correct interpretation can be given to like minded believers.  You see these are not the “Big Name” ministries and people that are plastered all over the TV screen, but these are behind the scene people who are in prayer and study to get to the truth of God’s Word.  These are not the ones who are spewing out so called prophetic prosperity gospels with a mind set that says they will all be whisked away (raptured) before any tragedy strikes (and I guess they’ll take their prosperity with them or so it seems).  I fell into this deception for a long time because I did not understand the fullness of the Scriptures and I believed what the “preachers” were telling me. 

When YHVH called my name on that very quiet morning, sitting on the veranda, I knew then it was time for the truth to be revealed and that He would show me through the Scriptures what I was to know and share with those who want to hear.  Now this is a subject of much controversy for the evangelical Christian living with a western Gentile mindset towards Christianity.  We have been brought into the deception that the church has replaced Israel, that we will be raptured out of hear before the great tribulation starts and that the Jewish people will have to stay and go through this terrible time.   I’ve even hear it preached that the Holy Spirit will be gone during this time.  The problem I have with this is that I can’t find it anywhere in the Scriptures to verify what is being preached here.  It’s as if they are reading/preaching another gospel.  But alas, Paul explained in his second letter (epistle) to the Thessalonians (based on his understanding of the Torah and Prophets and Writings [the Tanak]) that there would be persecutions and tribulations that believers would endure during the time just before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Now I am not going to go into a long discourse and teaching on this subject here, but will do so on my Bible Correspondence Course blogsite at http://mary-biblecorrespondencecourse.blogspot.com in the near future.

Paul said that God would bring a strong delusion (deception) to the the minds of those who were unrighteous among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (II Thes 2:10-11)  The consequence of this is that they will believe the lies of the lawless one who is coming according to the work of haSatan, with all power, signs and lying wonders.  These are the ones who will persecute the true believers in Yeshua HaMashiac.

An excellent chart of this Tribulation Time according to Daniel’s Seventieth Week Prophecy (Dan 9:20-27) can be found on the following website: http://www.the-tribulation-network.com

Some will take this message to heart and others will disregard it as a bunch of nonsense.  My prayer is that those who have an ear, let them hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying is this day and hour.

The Lord Bless You and give you Shalom Peace

MY PEOPLE ARE NOT READY

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.  And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David.  He did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.           (II Chronicles 34:1-3)

I write today from the heart.  As I look around me at the worlds’ condition, I wonder what will happen and when.  I see the economic collapse of our global infrastructure as we know it today.  I see nation rising against nation, people against people, and churches against churches.  People are determined to do what they want whether it be right or wrong; just so long as their flesh is satisfied.  Where is God’s called out people?  Do they not see or care enough about themselves or others’ conditions that they just ignore what is happening?  So many call themselves “Christians” and claim to be followers of Yeshua (Christ) but where is the evidence of this?  It has been 2000 years since our Lord walked this earth and called for His people to be redeemed back to God – He said, “Take up the cross and follow Me..”.  Who takes up the cross today and lives like He told us to do or walks in the truths that He taught us? 

Josiah found God when he was sixteen years old (the eighth year of his reign).  Just think – 16 years old! I didn’t find God until I was almost 30 and I have followed Him for over 30 years now.  I’ve been a long time searching, praying, reading and relying on Him and the power of the Holy Spirit (the Ruach HaKodesh) to give me wisdom and understanding into whom this Man was.  But what I read in the Scriptures leaves me in doubt as to people who are calling themselves Christians and the life they are living.  The two don’t seem to be lining up, at least in this day and age. 

Here we see a very young man who was seeking God and was so moved by what he discovered that just four years later (at the age of 20), he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.  II Chronicles 34:4-5 goes on to tell us:

They broke down the altars of the Baal’s in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.  He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

Josiah decided to take action in order to make things right.  There was a proper order to his actions.  First, he found God.  Second, he prayed and sought God’s directions.  Third, he took action (at the appointed time).  I’m sure he wept while seeking God’s directions.  It’s not an easy thing to walk in His ways.  We are commanded to “walk out our salvation”.  This means that we first have to find God’s direction for our lives and walk as He walked before we begin to “do things for God”.  You see He wants us to understand the importance of living according to His commandments.  He came to show us that even though temptation is all around us, we can live a different kind of life; one that reflects His characteristic traits and not the world’s. 

Josiah understood what God wanted him to do when he reached the age of twenty (12 years into his reign as king).  He started with Judah and Jerusalem; right there where he lived (home of his father David).  We always need to start the cleansing process within ourselves and in our homes.

He also did a very strange thing here.  He made dust of the images and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.  Not only that, he also burned the bones of the priests on their altars!  Now what would make him do that?  At this time, Josiah only knew in his heart that this was the right thing to do.  He did not know of a prophecy that was given in the time of Jeroboam’s reign by a man of God some 300 hundred years before Josiah’s birth.  This prophecy is found in I Kings 13:1-3.

II Chronicles verses 6 – 7 says:  And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around with axes (swords).  When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout ALL THE LAND OF ISRAEL, he returned to Jerusalem.

Here we see that Josiah not only purged Judah and Jerusalem, but he went throughout the entire land of Israel, to the northern kingdom as well as the southern kingdom of Judah, to accomplish this task.   While we are in the cleansing process of our own lives we need to be aware of how we are influencing the lives of our friends and family.  We need to show them that the change in us is not just temporary, but is permanent.  That means that once we have been purged, we need to continue the process within ourselves to remain in this condition.  Every day we wash the dirt and grim off ourselves in the natural.  But by the end of the day, we are once again dirty.  So the washing must once again take place in order for us to be clean. 

Josiah began the process with himself and his immediate surroundings in Judah and Jerusalem.  Then we find him going throughout the whole land of Israel to do the same thing.  This speaks of how we conduct our lives when out in public.  By our actions and our words, do people see the change in us and want to clean up their lives as a result of our testimony?  Maybe there is not enough of the Spirit of God in us or our actions to make people want to change.  Are we compromising with the world’s system so that we can “fit in”?  Are we afraid to show people that we are changed and serving God?

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 10:32-33)

Yeshua/Jesus tells us straight up that He is the one who grants us entrance into His kingdom by our (every day) actions.  Do we deny Him or do we show others that our lives are changed as a result of our relationship with Him?  If our lives are changed, then it shows.  Words are not adequate in our descriptions, but actions show what our words should convey.  Josiah took action which showed that he was determined to make God the ultimate ruler in all of Israel.  Are we determined to make God the ultimate ruler in our own lives?  If we are, then it will show.

II Chronicles 34 goes on to tell us that in the eighteenth year of his reign (when he was 26 years old) after he had purged the land and the temple, he sent men whom he could trust to repair the house of the Lord.  Not only did he have to clean up the land, but the house of the Lord had deteriorated to such a point that it needed a cleansing too.  What about our churches and synagogues today?  Do they need a purging and cleansing?  Apparently so.  There doesn’t seem to be much life or action coming from them.

“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

I Peter 4:17

You see God is going to judge mankind.  Peter warns us that judgment begins at the house of God.  Josiah knew that the house of God was in need of repair; not only physically, but spiritually as well.   

While the repair was being done, Hilkiah, the priest, found the Book of the Law of the Lord given by Moses (the Torah).  If he found it, then apparently it had been discarded and not used for a very long time.  So the people were “doing their own thing” and not following God’s commandments.  This is why the house of God was in need of repair.  No one was following God any more.  Idolatry was rampant.  Pagan worship was being done and God had been left out of their lives.  They were following the false gods of their forefathers.  They were involved with worldly things and immorality was running rampant. 

The Torah was brought to Josiah who had never seen it before.  It was read to him and when Shaphan had finished reading, Josiah tore his clothes.  He inquired of the Lord through the priests and trembled at the knowledge that God’s judgment had been poured out on the people because they had not kept the word of the Lord to do according to all that was written in it. 

Why do we see terrible things happening in the world today?  It’s because of the wrath of God pouring out His judgment on us.  We have been disobedient to His Word.  We have not followed His commandments given to us in the Torah.  We have not taken action to show others that, no matter what, we will follow and obey the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  We have not sacrificed our lives to the point of total commitment to God.  We have allowed the gods of this world to infiltrate and penetrate every fiber of our being just so we are not marked as “different” or “odd” or “crazy”, or “religious”, etc.  We are not willing to suffer persecution for the sake of our Lord.

Yeshua said in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.”  I for one, do not want to face the Messiah and have Him say to me, ‘Depart, I know you not’.

The title of this message is “My People Are Not Ready”.  Are you ready?  Do you have the strength of Josiah to go and tear down all of the Baal’s in your life?  Are you willing to face persecution by standing up for righteousness?   Do you want to be counted among the faithful?  God says that there is only a remnant that will be faithful ‘til the end.

Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God.  All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.

II Chronicles 34:33

The Parable of the Ten Virgins by Gavin Finley, MD  endtimepilgrim.org

ETERNAL BEINGS. ENTERING THE REALMS OF ETERNITY.

We serve a God who created and formed us in His image. We are spirit beings destined to live forever, …. - somewhere. God has a right to each one of us. We are eternal beings. We were made for fellowship with Him. The lamps of our human spirit were not meant to burn out. They were designed to run on forever, being fueled by the downloaded oil of God’s eternal Holy Spirit. That’s the way that it is. There is no other Source!

We were made from dust, from the elements of the periodic chemical chart. God breathed His Life into us at the creation. But bones and dust is not the end for those who are the called, the chosen, and the faithful. Other great wonders are still up ahead. The same Breath of God that breathed upon the waters at creation will restore the whole House of Israel. All 12 tribes will be found and restored. They will be brought safely into the glory, along with their companions. All Israel will be revived from death. The prophet Ezekiel saw them rise up from their graves with a rattling sound in the Valley of Dry Bones.

We serve and are ministered to by the God of Life. We were created and designed to run on the oil of His Holy Spirit. He is the One who will lift us up out of this dark enclosure of flesh. He is the One who is drawing us out to the eternal realms to be with Him. The Holy Bible is the Owner’s manual for human beings. And our supply of life-giving oil comes by the infilling of God’s Holy Spirit. Only He can supply this. Are we interested? And if so, then where is this supply of oil to be found?

THE GETHSEMANE OIL SUPPLY

The five wise virgins found the oil. They purchased it from those who sold it. And where did the oil come from? Here our journey of discovery leads us to a most unlikely place. But it is an important and necessary waypoint on the Kings Highway. The oil is pressed at a place called Gethsemane.

Right across from the eastern gate is the Mount of Olives. This is the grand entrance into the Holy City. It is the entrance Messiah took at His first coming. And so it will be at His second coming when His feet touch the Mount of Olives and the whole mountain cleaves in two. Down near the foot of the mount and right across from the Temple is the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the place. Gethsemane means “oil press”. It is right here that the oil is pressed out.

This is an awesome place. It is a place of crushing. It is not a place for the popular crowds This was the place where our Lord Jesus Christ was handed the cup. There He knelt down and prayed, sweating as it were drops of blood. It was here that He endured the agony of surrender to the powers of darkness. In this dark night of the soul, He faced the prospect of the cross and began to experience for the first time that personal agony that comes from being cut off from the Father. But He did this for us, and took upon Himself the sins of the whole world.

The word “Christ” or “Messiah” means “the Anointed One”. This was where Christ Jesus showed His true character and true anointing. He gave Himself for others. He took the cup. He received it in total commitment to the Way of the cross. It was there at Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal that Jesus committed Himself to the will of the Father.

His agony of soul is something we need never face. He was cut off from the Father so that we might be saved. He had to do this to take upon Himself the sins of the world. That is what He did for us. It was there, at that place of the oil press where the victory of Christ, our Anointed One, was won. Right there, at Gethsemane, is where it happened. There, at that place of the oil press, Jesus defeated the powers of darkness. And so it should come as no surprise that this is where the oil of anointing for kings and priests, the oil for the lamps, and the oil of gladness can be found.

GETHSEMANE OIL.
AT THE OILPRESS, THE PLACE OF CRUSHING.

Gethsemane was (and is) an awesome spiritual place. It is the place of ‘the oil press” and the place where the oil is found. For our Savior it was the place where He faced the full implications of the cup that was offered before Him. The place is truly forbidding. And yet this is the appointed place for all those who are the burden bearers of God. Gethsemane is a waypoint and an experience in God for all those who truly seek Him and follow Him in the deepest way. It is here that the true servants of God run up against the forces of darkness. The oil of anointing is there. And wonder of wonders, they come into a personal experience in God that they had never thought possible. They discover the truth of what Zerubbabel was told.

Not by might. Nor by strength,
But by my SPIRIT saith the Lord!”

The five wise virgins knew this place. And they did not avoid it. They went there quite deliberately. And that is where they found the oil. They purchased it with the surrender of their own self life to God. They received it out of a realization of their own personal emptiness before Him. And, of course, they were witnesses to the Bridegroom. They belonged to Him. So the oil that He supplied was right there. It was waiting for them. And it was in an overflowing abundant supply!

This is exceedingly important for us to understand.
If we are in Christ then our enemy has been totally and utterly defeated.
He was defeated right there in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The indwelling Christ is at work within us. From glory to glory He is changing us from the inside out. In union with Him we are supplied in His great anointing. His Holy Spirit fills us to overflowing. Jesus/Yeshua is our Messiah, Christ, or “Anointed One”. In the Garden and at the cross He took all our burdens. He took all our pain and sorrow. And He was victorious! Now He causes us to rejoice in our sufferings. They will soon be over. And so even in the midst of great darkness He fills us with the oil of gladness.

The Apostle Paul rejoiced in this victory.
He said,

“O grave, where is thy victory?
  O death, where is they sting?!” (1Cor.15:55)

THE MIDNIGHT DRAMA.
AND AN EPIC MOMENT IN THE DIVINE ROMANCE.

The virgins get up as they hear the midnight cry. Their lamps are flickering and about to go out. The 5 wise virgins bring out their vessels filled with extra oil. They then proceed to fill their lamps. The Bridegroom is approaching in the night.

Isn’t this parable a story of incredible excitement and romance? There are a host of other poetic themes in scripture which overlap this story. Remember the Shulamite’s two dreams in the Song of Songs? She too heard a call to open the door to her beloved? In one of her disturbing dreams she is comfortable in her own bed of ease. She is too comfortable, in fact, to bother getting up to answer when the knock comes. Her Betrothed is knocking at the door. Finally she goes to open the door to Him but He is gone. She goes out into the streets desperately looking for him. (Song of Songs 5:2-8)

In the letter to the angel of the Church at Laodicea in Rev. 3 we see the Laodicean church pictured in a similar way. Again the poetic imagery reveals to us ‘the Beloved outside the door’. This time too the Beloved is knocking. Is God knocking at the door of our hearts?

The ten virgins, even the five wise virgins, all slumbered. Why? We see many instances of slumbering in scripture. Remember the disciples asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of Jesus’ betrayal?

THE MIDNIGHT DRAMA UNFOLDS AS MANY OTHERS HAVE DONE BEFORE.
AND THE WISE GO FORTH INTO THE NIGHT WITH THEIR LAMPS BURNING BRIGHTLY.

Like the disciples, all the bridesmaids are dozing as their lamps burn low. It had been a night of romance and expectancy. But even the 5 wise virgins are slumbering as the night wears on. For some, the coming crisis will lead on to a pathway of glory. For others it will be an awful moment of discovery and loss. Pray God that never happens to anyone reading these words.

The wise will enter into the divine romance. The virgins with the new oil in their lamps will be off on a grand adventure. It will be a night passage into a realm of glory they have never experienced before. For the wise who had prepared themselves they are at the threshold of a dream. This romance has superseded all other romances. At midnight the virgins awaken. They have heard the shout of the friend of the Bridegroom. They fill their failing lamps and their lamps light the way before them as they head out into the darkness. The hour has come!

The midnight hour is both an agonizing and an ecstatic threshold in time. Its pure drama is seen repeatedly throughout scripture and even spills over into profane literature. Here are just a few of these moments as we se them in scripture. At midnight the death angel passes over Egypt. It brings death upon the firstborn of Egypt and the covering blood on the doorposts brings deliverance to God’s people. The family of Israel eats the bitter herbs and the unleavened bread of haste. They are girded and they eat the unleavened bread of haste standing up. They ready themselves to leave on an epic journey. This will come to be known as ‘the Exodus’.

It is at midnight that Samson awakens from his slumbers. He find himself in Delilah’s bonds of seduction and betrayal. He shakes himself and calls on the anointing of God. Then in a mighty pull he wrenches the Philistine gates of Gaza from their supports and proceeds to lug them up the hill towards Hebron. - Judges 16:3

In a romantic redemptive picture we see Boaz, a type of our Kinsman Redeemer. It is at midnight that He discovers the maiden Ruth lying at his feet. It is the time of harvest. As He slept on the threshing floor she had nestled herself there. She is seeking his covering. And she is appealing to the covenant of Israel for redemption. -Ruth 3:8

In the midnight hours Jesus is betrayed and sent up before Caiaphas. Here in the night watches He faces His awful night of trials.

It is at midnight that Paul and Silas are praising God in prison. No low oil situation here. Deliverance comes as an earthquake breaks open the prison doors. The shackles of the prisoners fall off. The jailer, now under a death sentence comes to Paul and Silas asking, “What must I do to be saved?”. -Acts 16:25&26

Are these midnight dramas also in the same pattern as another great midpoint spiritual drama? In the middle of the 70th week the Antichrist is possessed and arises as the Beast. He is no more Mr. Nice guy. He stops the temple sacrifices, (which by this time will have resumed). The Antichrist then sets up the abomination of desolation. The cry of alarm goes up at that time and the saints in Jerusalem flee from the city. This is the crisis of history and it involves all of the covenant people of God. They signed on with this false messiah. And now, not surprisingly, they have been betrayed!

The Church and Israel are both in extreme peril. And yet God is still at work in redemption and deliverance. The end time drama will be a time of deep darkness for mankind. What is going to happen?

It seems that some lamps will burn low and go out. This world will be plunged into thick darkness. But is that all there is to the story? Will the saints arise and shine?

Apparently so.
The prophet Isaiah saw the lights shining brightly. (Isa. 60)
All these wonders are yet to be revealed,
At the midnight hour.

As we return to our story we see that the ten virgins are stirring from their slumbers. The midnight drama is beginning to unfold. The shout of the bridegroom’s friend has been heard off in the distance. The bridegroom is coming! The ten virgins are up. Their lamps are burning low and about to go out. But the wise virgins are prepared for this. Excitedly they pour oil from their vessels to fill their lamps. Their lamps are shining brightly as they open the door and step out into the night.

But for the five foolish virgins the story is different. In the light of their dim and flaring lamps the awful realization comes to them. They have no oil to refill their failing lamps. They must remain behind to find the oil. But the hour is late; too late in fact. This is an awful situation. They have heard the midnight cry. They know that He is near. Yet they are unable to go out to meet Him.

This haunting parable of the ten virgins is packed with a very powerful message. It carries a profound and unforgettable warning for us all. Even today the oil of the Holy Spirit is available. The time for the procuring of oil is now.

Let us draw near to our God in devotion to Him.

Let us trim our lamps for the coming night.

And let us seek the oil,
and the fullness of His Holy Spirit now.

Grace and shalom to all who love His appearing.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins by Gavin Finley, MD - endtimepilgrim.org (Part 2)

FIVE ARE WISE, FIVE ARE FOOLISH

There is no doubt that this parable of the ten virgins makes us sit up and take notice.  All of them as a group prepare to go out and meet the Bridegroom.  God is using this specific wedding imagery to help us focus on a crucial relationship.  The covenant people of God have determined to consecrate themselves to YHVH/God, the Holy One of Israel.  He is the One who is coming again from out of the heavenly places.  He will be coming as ‘The Breaker’. (Micah 2:12-13)  He will be breaking into this cosmos to judge and to save.

Our God is the Holy One of Israel.  His name is ‘Emmanuel’, which means “God with us”.  And He is coming down into the cosmos to be with His people.  So the end time drama is not just divine judgment upon the wicked.  It is also the climax of the divine romance between God and all His Elect people.  The parable of the ten virgins is a romance and an adventure.  The arrival of the Bridegroom is expected.  His Spirit has been provided ahead of time ensuring Eternal Light and joy to the bridal party.  Because even at the midnight hour IN AN HOUR OF DEEP DARKNESS, they will go out to meet the bridegroom.

The five wise virgins are seemingly just like all the others.  But at the midnight hour they suddenly become the focus of the story.  The wise are clearly different from the others.  It seems that they have taken the time to prepare.  In the imagery they have made spiritual preparation ahead of an anticipated time of darkness and endurance testing.  They have their bridal garments.  They are clothed in fine linen, even the righteousness of the saints (Rev 19:8).  And they have found the oil for the lamps.  The oil of gladness is over all of them at the beginning of the evening.  But the wise ones have KNOWN that a long night of DEEP DARKNESS awaits them.  They also know that a great drama and a magnificent romance is up ahead.  This is not just an intellectual or theological thinking with them.  Nor has their preparation in the spirit of God come from mere emotional hype.  What we are seeing here is the evidence of an abiding love that burns continually within the heart of those who are wise in the things of God.  The wise virgins know the time of DEEP DARKNESS IS UP AHEAD.   They know for a fact that it is bound to happen.  They also know who they are in God and what they are about.  They have a character of a true bride.  They are prepared to be faithful witnesses on behalf of the Bridegroom, even in a time of GREAT DARKNESS.  So they have prepared themselves.  THEY HAVE THE OIL OF ANOINTING, and they carry it with them.

As we can see, the wise, the wise virgins in the bridal party are not passive.  They are not indifferent purchased concubines who do not have a vital interest in covenant proceedings.  They are the bridal company.  They are enlightened by the BLOOD COVENANT connection they have with the approaching Bridegroom.  There is rejoicing in the group and a spirit of praise and of cheer.  But the wise are different from the others.  They are well aware of what is coming.  They are not in a state of denial about their role in the coming drama.  Nor have they played games with their mind to dodge the truth.  They know that they must face the coming night.  And so they are not passive in the covenant.  They have made deliberate preparations for this night of passage.

This is a parable of awe.  Ten virgins had intended to go out and meet the Bridegroom.  Alas, only five of them will.  This is the high drama which unfolds in the storyline.  It is probably the most haunting parable Jesus ever taught.

As darkness falls on this night of wonders all ten of the virgins have their lamps with them.  Their lights are burning in the early hours of darkness.  But they are in for a long night.  At the stroke of midnight things will become very different, and very difficult.  They will be called upon to go out beyond their present dwelling, their present place of comfort.  A long passage through a dark night awaits them.  It will be a journey of wonder.  The passage will take them well beyond the present structures they have come to rely on.

The wise ones know all about this.  They have made their spiritual preparations in anticipation of this eventuality.  Their extra jar of oil is with them.  It will become their ETERNAL SUPPLY.

The parable showcases five wise virgins.  What made them wise?  We are told that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.  Did they fear God?  Apparently so.  A word of wisdom came their way.  And they paid attention (Prov 1).  They heard the salvation story and they consecrated themselves.  But that was just the beginning.  They set their faces towards the coming One and made Him their ETERNAL SUPPLY.  They dressed themselves in the garments of praise and righteousness.  They had the oil of gladness in the anointing of Christ/Messiah.

The five wise virgins had taken time to prepare themselves.  These were ready to go out into the midnight darkness on that epic night of wonder.  A GREAT JOURNEY AWAITS THEM.  And a night of drama will lead them out on a great adventure to meet their magnificent destiny.  They will meet the BRIDEGROOM at His coming.  And then, with glorified spiritual bodies they will be joined with Him.  They will come into their spiritual consummation at the MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB.

Who then is this party of ten virgins?  And where is the bride?  There seems to be a puzzling omission here in this parable.  The bride, herself, is not mentioned.  Or is she?  The parable focuses on a bridal party, here termed virgins or bridesmaids.  Bridesmaids typically are closely associated with the bride.  But isn’t a bridesmaid one who is preparing for her future role as a bride?  Is she not readying herself for her own wedding?  The parable is a picture of the divine romance is it not?  If that is so, then might the issue of the bridal preparation be the main theme in this parable of the ten virgins?

All through the Old Testament we saw the covenant people of God represented as a party of people in a betrothal relationship with YHVH/God.  This relationship called for  BLOOD COVENANT faithfulness.  This is precisely the witness “unto death” we see called for in a wedding betrothal.  We see this level of commitment in the lives of the saints of Old Testament times.  In modern times it was seen in the lives of the Anabaptists, millions of whom died for the faith.  It was this level of total commitment that Corrie Ten Boom demonstrated in her life.  She warned the church that this high level of commitment would be called for in times to come.  Her message to us is recorded in a letter she wrote back in 1974.

The theme of spiritual faithfulness was voiced repeatedly by the prophets.  The epic and prophetic story of Hosea and Gomer is a case in point.  We also see it in the Song of Songs.  In the Hebrew wedding we see the cup of the covenant offered by the Bridegroom.  The cup, and all it means, is received.  And the bride-to-be is betrothed.  At that moment she becomes fully committed to the Bridegroom.  The Book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into the divine romance in the Apocalypse.  It is seen in the message given to the Church of Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22).

Our God is a God of grace.  He always called out His people at a heart level.  Devotion to God never was just a matter of law or religious legalism.  It always was and always will be a devotional matter.  This is the essence of the divine romance in God.  Our apostle Paul exhorts us in this very same devotion.  “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (II Cor. 11:2)

THE TEN VIRGINS IN THE APOCALYPSE

It seems we have been offered a magnificent destiny.  Who then would want to dodge this high calling?  The divine romance is upon God’s people.  And our God is wooing us to Himself.

Here in this parable of ten virgins we see a wedding party.  They are preparing themselves for their passage into the glory.  They gather together in anticipation of an arriving bridegroom.  But something happens.  AT MIDNIGHT THE DRAMA UNFOLDS.  All of the ten virgins are seen to be slumbering.  Their lamps are all flickering and burning low.  All of them are experiencing a degree of ‘burnout’.  Five of the ten virgins have an extra jar of oil prepared.  They are ready to go out to meet the Bridegroom.

Are their prophetic elements to this story?  Are their some thematic overtones here of the 70th week of Daniel? (Daniel 9:24-27)  Is this a glimpse into the DEEP DARKNESS that will come at the midway point of those final seven years of this age?  A time will certainly come when GREAT DARKNESS WILL COVER THE EARTH.  The midpoint of the final seven years will bring the ‘abomination of desolation’ and the Antichrist will attempt to institute his 666 economic system.  Jesus told four of His inquiring disciples that this will truly be the DEEPEST CRISIS OF FAITH the saints have ever known.  Is this the MIDNIGHT HOUR we see in this parable of the ten virgins?  Is this the time of deep darkness that will usher in the final three and a half years of the Great Tribulation?

The MIDNIGHT CRY will be a cry of alarm.  The bridal party have come to their moment of crisis.  They must leave the house.  Is the house a symbol of the covering provided by our present structured temporal and spiritual life?  We are comfortable here in our present western church-state system.  The western church has been a place of protection for the saints in recent times.  But going back all the way to the Council of Niceae, it has been a place of compromise.  Has the present HOUSEHOLD OF GOD changed the entrenched church-state equation we see in the west?  Or has the church we know given herself to narcissism, self indulgence and the comforts of the flesh?

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT THIS WILL ALL CHANGE.  Something of great importance has happened.  THEY HEAR THE MIDNIGHT CRY.  The Bridegroom is coming towards them in the night.

The night is dark as the ten virgins awaken and stir themselves.  Their lamps are flickering and burning low.  The ten virgins know that they must leave the house and go out to meet the Bridegroom.  The wise virgins have the oil.  They are trimming and recharging their lamps.  And now they are ready to leave.

Right here in the parable we are actually given a picture of something very inspiring and wonderful.  It is something we do not expect to see.  Right in the midst of that deep darkness we see the saints rise and shine.  Their lights are burning brightly in the MIDST OF THE DARKNESS.  It is a moment of wonder and awe.  What are we seeing here?

It is a scene of romance and high adventure.  It is in fact another picture of the great END TIME REVIVAL.  All the Old Testament prophets saw this.  The prophet Isaiah told of the time when God’s covenant people would hear the call, “Arise, shine; For your light has come!” (Is 60:1)

Again we see the glorious company of light-bearers.  They were first seen by our father Abraham four millennia ago.  He saw the lights of a starry host against the black vault in the heavens.  A Myriad company of stars was shining forth in numbers that could not be counted. (Gen 15)  They were THE ELECT, the glorious Congregation in the Redeemed (Rev 7).

THE DEVOTIONAL APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE

And so we see the wise virgins step out into the night.  The saints are on the final leg of their epic journey.  Their lamps are burning brightly as they go out to meet the Bridegroom.  A DARK AND DANGEROUS PASSAGE AWAITS THEM.  They pass on through the night as a wedding party.  Each one carries their own personal lamp to light the way in the darkness.  All of them are actively engaged in the COVENANT PROCEEDINGS here.  They are not passive.  This is their destiny and they know it.  And as they move out their safe passage is totally dependent on their lamplight and the oil supply that has been provided them.  This is the high drama of the end time.  This is the divine romance and it leads us right into the Apocalypse.  The five wise virgins are on a passage.  As we see them they are enroute into the dangers and the glories that will be seen at the consummation of the age.

It is God’s Spirit which brings the Life and the Light into our lives.  Without Him, (and yes the Spirit of God is a Person and not an ‘it’), our lives would be in darkness.  Our lamps are ready and fueled with an extra yet personal supply of oil.  This is how the spirit of the wise is maintained.  The extra jar of oil is the key.  The lives of the pilgrim saints down through time give abundant testimony to this.  The Light of God shines from their lamps without wavering.  These are the people who arise and shine, even in the valley of the shadow of death.  They are prepared to go out, - EVEN IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR - and to go beyond.

How would we describe the lamp of our spirit?  Do we merely maintain our spirit in the strength of our own self life?  And what about this awful possibility of “burnout”?  How do we deal with that?  “The spirit of man is the candle/lamp of the Lord, searching all the inward parts.” (Prov 20:27)

What if we do come to a time of great darkness?  What if we face impending burnout?  What then?  Who will bring forth the Light for our flagging spirit?  And Who will supply the oil for our lamps as the end time darkness falls?  And when that future history unfolds that will see a GREAT FALLING AWAY from the faith what will happen to our faith then?  What, or Who, will be our supply?  Is there a source of oil beyond our own limited human resources?  Has the vessel storing our extra supply of oil been filled?

There is a Savior-God who brings us salvation.  But have we answered Him as He calls us beyond ourselves?  Where is the one we in Christendom once referred to as Providence?  Do we know Him?  Do we know Him Personally?              

These are critical questions.  All of us have a certain natural reserve within lamps of our own human spirit.  Some have more than others.  God put that human energy within each of us.  As human beings we have a certain supply of spiritual energy.  We were made in God’s likeness. (Gen 1:26)  But in our present fallen state as human beings, we are cut off from God by sin.  We are not naturally in fellowship with God.  And as our flesh and our soul life begins to fade in strength, our own human spirit begins to flicker as well.  When we reach the point of ‘burnout’ we fade away.  This is the end of us…………..

Unless, of course, we are in communion with the God of Life!  Because He is the One who is our Eternal Source and Supply.

So what happens to us when the world turns black against us?  What happens as the awful hour of midnight approaches?  Who do we turn to when our ‘dim and flaring lamps’ begin to flicker?  We need that oil of anointing; that oil of illumination.  We need the unction, the brightness of the spirit and the cheer to go on.  Will we have oil when we need it in times to come?  Do we have an outside supply even when our spirits are laid low?  Do we have that extra jar of oil to refill our failing lamps?  Do we have the supply of oil, even the Holy Spirit to REVIVE US in the midst of GREAT TRIBULATION?  Will our lamps return filled even in the MIDNIGHT DARKNESS?

At some point in the future we shall hear the midnight cry.  The shout of the friend of the Bridegroom will be heard (Matt 25:6).  The message will be the same as when John baptized by the Jordan 2,000 years ago.  It will be, “Repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand!”

At that time the virgin company of God will awaken.  They will begin to stir.  For the wise, for those who have the oil, REVIVAL will come.  For the others, there will be burnout and a GREAT FALLING AWAY; even a GREAT APOSTASY.

For the wise it will be a time of new stirrings and great wonder.  The swaddling coverings of our comfortable churchy bed of ease will fall away.  They will no longer matter.  They will have become a thing of the past.  The saints will be stirring even as a butterfly about to emerge from a cocoon.  They will awaken from their dreamy state.  There will be forces pressing in on them.  There will be a sense of urgency, even a time of travail.  That DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL will have finally have come.  It will be a time to break away.  It will be a time to “Arise and Shine!”  God will be calling His covenant people.  And they will be on to new things.

The path that lies before us is a strait and narrow passage (Matt 7:14).  It is a highway of holiness (Isa 35:38).  The passes are fearful places, guarded by dragons of fear.  The powers of this world, those in heaven and on earth, will be trying to hold us back.  But for the saints, there can be no other pathway.  THIS IS THE ONLY WAY.  Our God will be leading us onward.  The time that Isaiah saw will have finally arrived:

“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.  For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.  The Gentiles shall come to your light, and the kings to the brightness of your rising.  Lift up your eyes all around and see; They all gather together, they come to you;  Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.  Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy.” (Isa 60:1-5)

The One and only pathway into the glory lies out there in our future.  It is a strait and narrow way.  This will become even clearer when THE TRUMPETS SOUND THE ALARM.  Our Lord Jesus Christ will become our everything.  In the Valley of Achor, (Valley of Tribulation), we shall  come to know Him not as Lord but as “Ishi”, our Beloved (Hos 2:15-16).

The Bridegroom is returning.  Of this we can be sure.  He will be calling us even in a time of great future darkness.  We shall know the time has come, for we shall hear THE MIDNIGHT CRY, “Behold the bridegroom cometh; Go ye out to meet Him!” (Matt 25:6)

The bridal party stirs and awakens.  And then the moment of awful realization.  And a prayer is heard in the night.  Lord help us! Our lamps are going out!  And then the awful question:

DO WE HAVE THE OIL?

Stay tuned for the final episode, Part 3, next week.

Shalom and God Bless

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS

A Study by Gavin Finley, MD - endtimepilgrim.org

Matthew 25:1-13

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’  But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 is one of the most enigmatic and intriguing in all of scripture.  It seems to be a story of great drama and romance.  In it we also see a warning, and some information for the saints of great prophetic significance.  It is a wooing and a calling into a devotion in God.  The spirit of God is speaking to us in the storyline.  We find ourselves being drawn beyond our comfort zone.  Deep calls out unto deep…-Ps. 42:7.  The facts of the story are straightforward.  Five of the virgins were wise and five were foolish.  Just who are these 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins?  If they are believers, then why the division?  Are there two different groups of people within the beloved Congregation of God?  And if so, what is it that distinguishes them from each other?

THE SYMBOL OF THE LAMP IN SCRIPTURE

As we look deeper into the story and survey the poetic imagery, we observe that all of the ten virgins carried lamps.  The lamp is often pictured in scripture and in our literature as a symbol of the spirit of a person. 

Prov. 20:27 (NKJV) - “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.”  And Prov. 20:27 (KJV) - “The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord, Searching all the inward parts of the belly.”  (Inward parts of the belly relates to our deepest feelings.  It is a reference to the origin of our true thoughts and motivations.)

So the lamp, or candle, of the Lord is the spirit of man.  These is a flame present and visible to others, - if he is alive and awake.  The spirit of man at any given time is showcasing a spiritual presence.  That spiritual presence varies from person to person and from time to time.

The spirit being expressed in a person may be of God.  Or we may have accepted “strange fire” from the enemy of our souls.  There is a “mystery of iniquity” operating in great deception. (2Thes. 2:7)  And there is a “mystery of godliness“. (1 Tim 3:16)

Our ultimate and eternal happiness is not something that comes from human determination or striving.  We were designed and created to function in union and in harmony with God.  And the candle of our spirit was originally designed to be lit by the Holy Spirit.  As children in Sunday School we learned the song:

Jesus bids us shine with a pure clear light,

Like a little candle, burning in the night.

In this world of darkness, so we must shine.

You in your small corner, and I in mine.

So the lamp, or candle, is the spirit of man.  The Westminster Catechism asks this question.  What is the chief end or purpose of man?  The answer is, “to know God and to enjoy Him forever.”

Man was created to live and walk in God.  He was created and saved not just for a mansion in heaven, but to showcase the works and fruits of His Holy Spirit here on earth.  The indwelling Holy Spirit of YHVH-God manifests the Christian graces.  They are, in fact, the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Our Apostle Paul lays them out for us in Gal. 5:22&23.  These aspects of Godly character are evidence of the indwelling Christ.  And they are increasingly evident in a human being as he grows in God.  The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

THE QUESTION OF THE OIL

Discussions of the parable of the ten virgins usually addresses the question of the oil.  What does the oil represent?

In scripture, the meaning of the oil is not a difficult matter to elucidate.  A quick word study through the Bible will suffice.  The oil quite typically represents the Holy Spirit.  The scriptures tell of the oil of gladness and the oil of anointing of God’s Presence.  The Old Testament scriptures showcase the oil of anointing for priests and kings.  Throughout the Bible, we also see the oil for the lamps which brings the Light of God’s illumination.  Poetically, the Word and Light of God is there as “a lamp unto our feet” to help guide us along the pathway when darkness comes.

If the oil is a picture of the the Holy Spirit then what does that extra jar of oil represent?  As we see in the parable, an extra cruse of oil was carried by each of the five wise virgins.  Apparently this extra oil supply was the essential difference between the five wise and five foolish virgins.  As the party began in the early hours of the evening, the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins was not noticeable.  All of them slumbered.  All of them were approaching burnout as the night wore on.  But, as the mignighthour came, the presence or absence of that extra oil became a critical issue.  The wise virgins carried an extra supply of oil with them on their person.  The foolish virgins did not.

This matter of the extra oil is exceedingly important.  Here we see a reserve oil supply that went along with the wise virgins as a matter of course.  This extra resource was quite separate from the oil that was in their lamps.  The oil the wise carried in their lamps was no greater in supply than the oil in the lamps of the foolish.  All ten of them were seeing their lamps beginning to burn out as the midnight hour approached.  So this extra oil supply was not a superabundance poured inside the lamps of the wise.  The wise virgins had extra oil with them.  But it was not in their lamps.  The extra oil came from another companion vessel that was with them.

This is a very important point.  In the symbolism we see that the extra oil was not to be found within the spirit being of the wise virgins.  The extra oil came from an external source.  It was a supply and a Providence that was outside and beyond them.  It was a personal resource to be sure.  And it was a resource they obviously had access to.  But this extra energy supply was separate from the oil they had within the lamp of their own spirit.  This was the critical difference between those who were wise and those who were foolish.  What is God trying to tell us here?

Surely the extra cruse of oil is a picture of our Savior (Paraclete); The Comforter/Strengthener, our Eternal Supply.  He is always with us on our pilgrimage,….even the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

THE EXTRA JAR OF OIL - OUR SPIRITUAL PREPARATION IN GOD

This matter of the oil and extra provision beyond ourselves is a hugely important issue.  The question of the extra oil is still wondered about and discussed in devotional circles.  Many Christians admit that this humbling parable of the ten virgins involves them.  Deep down in their hearts they also know that God is in some way giving them a warning.  It is a call to an important spiritual preparation in God.  Is God calling His people to prepare themselves for a journey through the darkness?  Biblical Christians know that there certainly is a great darkness up ahead, at the end of this age.  So in this parable is our God giving us a ‘heads up’?

We are told ‘A word to the wise is sufficient’.  There is still time for us to act on this information.  So shall we take the message to heart?  Shall we make it a priority in our busy world to draw aside and to make that spiritual preparation?  If this parable is a prophecy (and it probably is), then the answer is all too important.   Some of us will take this warning to heart.  We shall seek the face of God and make the needful preparation.  And some of us won’t.

RUNNING LOW ON OIL AND THE TROUBLING ISSUE OF “BURNOUT”

We also see that all of the virgins were in the same predicament.  As the midnight hour approached, they had all come to a moment of crises.  Both the wise and the foolish were running low on oil.  ALL of them were approaching “burnout”.

The fact that the virgins came to a time when their lamps were sputtering and burning low is not the main issue at all.  This happened to all ten virgins, including the five wise virgins.  Burnout happens to all of us from time to time as we come to low points and times of crisis in our lives.  There is nothing wrong with this.  It is a common human experience.  But it is how we respond to the challenges of life that seems to be the issue.  Do we fear God?  Do we seek His face when our world comes to a crisis?  Have we come to know God more intimately in our passage through life?  Have we taken time to address the spiritual issues of life in God?

It is our spiritual attentiveness that appears to be the critical issue.  We see it alluded to in Proverbs, chapter 1.  Here we see the woman of wisdom crying out in the streets.  But few are listening.  The foolish are going their own way no matter what.  Only the wise stop to listen and are drawn in to the God who is calling them.

So what was the difference then?  Those who were wise had seen the darkness coming.  They had made previous preparation for the coming night.  They were not trusting and depending on the oil that was in the lamps of their own spirit.  They knew that this would fail them somewhere down the line.  So they had made their priority to obtain a spiritual supply outside of themselves.  They had that extra jar of oil.  It was the ‘midnight oil’  With that extra supply of oil, the wise virgins were prepared.  They were ready for a great drama that would unfold at the midnight hour.  When the hour of burnout came they were equipped to recharge their lamps with a fresh supply of oil.  The wise virgins arose from their beds with ease.  The foolish virgins had not prepared for events at the midnight hour.  They were in a state of anxiety because their lamps were fading and approaching burnout.  They were unable to go on.  But the lamps of the wise had been recharged and were burning brightly.  The wise virgins were all set.  They were ready to go out to meet the Bridegroom.

THE EXTRA JAR OF OIL AND ETERNAL, ABUNDANT, NEVER-ENDING SUPPLY - THE LESSON FROM THE HANUKKAH OIL

As we look into the parable of the ten virgins we see that the wise carried the extra jar of oil.  What is that all about?  This is an interesting question and the answer is one that we can piece together as we meditate in the Holy Scriptures and listen to what the Holy Spirit is showing us.  It seems that the Holy Spirit is our true and faithful outside supply.  He is the ultimate source of the oil of anointing for salvation and empowerment of the saints.  Apparently Christian believers can have God’s Holy Spirit and His Presence with them.  He is not always evident in their spirit.  But when the saints come into times of darkness, they cry out to God.  And He answers.  He is available to those who truly know Him. 

The Hanukkah story is another wonderful demonstration of this abundant external supply in God.  Here after the desolations of the temple by Antiochus Ephiphanes we see a time of deep darkness for the Jewish nation.  They had found a supply of oil for the candelabra in the temple.  The oil they had prepared was just enough for one day, but God intervened.  He miraculously supplied enough oil to keep the light shining for eight days.

The oil is a picture of God’s Eternal Spirit.  The oil that did not run out is a representation of God’s Eternal Light.  It is a picture of the ever faithful Presence of the Holy Spirit.  It is a demonstration of the Spirit of God at work in His covenant people.

In that Hanukkah oil we see God-YHVH as our Eternal Providence.  He is our never-ending supply.  He is there filling our lamps as our spirits begin to fail us.  He supplies the oil throughout all the 7 days of the week.  Then He takes us on beyond into the 8th day and into the beginning of a new week.  In Him we have a SUPPLY that never ends.  He is the One who fills the lamps of our human spirits.  His provision is eternal.  In Him we shall never come to a place where our spirits burn out and deliver us into outer darkness.  Even when faced by physical death in the day of tribulation and adversity, we shall never die.  Our Savior is also the God of ProvIdence.  And He will provide the oil of His Spirit for His saints, come what may.  He is there with us to cheer us on even as darkness falls and we face the coming night.  This is the wooing in God that leads to the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  As we abide in Him we find ourselves being drawn ever closer into His presence.  Let us seek the infiling of His Holy Spirit with all diligence, because our inspiration and our empowerment is not to be found in ourselves.  Our Providence from God is divine and a bountiful supply.  And that outside supply is only to be found in Him.

After Jesus finished His priestly work on earth at His first coming, He spoke with those who loved Him.  He gave them a promise.  He promised that when He left the scene, He would not leave us desolate and alone.  He would send His Holy Spirit to be our Comforter/(Empowerer) and Guide.  This happened fifty days after His resurrection on the Day of Pentecost.  On that day the Holy Spirit of the God of Israel overflowed into the heathen gentile nations.  The birthday of Israel, the day God brought the law to the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai was the birthday of the nation of Israel.  Pentecost now also became the birthday of the Church.

Jesus also specifically promised that the Holy Spirit would be there to light our way.  He would be there to guide us into the pathways of Truth in the times to come.  He said, “When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth.  For He shall not speak of Himself; But whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: And He will show you things to come”. (John 16:13)

The Old Testament Hebrew poetry brings us the very same message.  There is no difference qualitatively between the workings of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament times and His New Testament workings we see today.  “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path”. (Ps. 119:105)

Next week, I’ll bring you Part 2 of “The Midnight Drama”.

http://www.endtimepilgrim.org/josephspies.htm

Above is a link to Endtime Pilgrim Website.  Please click on it to view this article pertaining to a Spiritual application to a historical pattern for the end times.  There are many theories in the world today as to what will happen during the end times, when they will happen and who will and who will not be here during the tribulation times.  Many views are recorded in books by men and women who have perceived “revelation” from God over the years.  Many times we view revelation in light of current times.  Of course, the views that we see today may not be what was seen in prior years.  So we must realize that when we are seeking the truth, it must be through YHVH’s Holy Word. 

No one knows what the end times will bring except that we read and understand the prophetic fulfillment’s of YHVH’s word to us that has been written down for our reading.  Prior to our being able to have access to writing materials, it was generally given that if a person had something of importance to say, it would be transcribed by an individual who had been trained to write these things down.  It would then be told to the masses in order for them to understand; much like a story told to a group of children who have not yet learned to read and write.  In the beginning, before we had Bibles, as we know them today, most of the writings were given to these dedicated people who transcribed them onto stone and then onto parchment and finally onto paper like we use today. 

It is up to every individual to discern what God is telling and showing them.  People will have different interpretations of God’s Word based on what they have either read, been shown through revelation or sought through prayer and/or fasting.  I do not have all of the answers and some things that I believe may not be what others believe.  But I do feel that we must each bear one another up that we might come into unity as a fellowship of true believers.  Maybe we don’t all agree with our conclusions to a matter, but that should not deter us from loving our fellow believer.  God’s Word is truth and no matter what happens, Truth will prevail.

I believe that the story of Joseph shows us a true prophetic outline of what the end times will be like.  It is not just a story, but it has a much deeper end-time fulfillment associated with it.  It is complete in it’s narrative.  We are now in a very gross and dark apostate time.  Many have grown cold and have stopped fellow shipping with other believers.  Many are coming out of the church, but have no direction on where to go or what to do.   There is so much falseness going on that no one trusts anyone else any more.  So what are we to do?

DRAW CLOSER TO GOD!!!

He is our only answer.  Love our fellow man.  The disciples asked Yeshua what the greatest commandment was and He replied that we were to love God with all our heart and might and the second commandment was to love our neighbor as our self.  On these two commandments rested all of God’s other commandments. 

So be sure to go to the above link and view “The House of Joseph in the End-Time Drama”

Shalom Blessings to you.

Dear Brethren

Sanctuary: A place of refuge or asylum; the state of being protected or safeguarded from danger or hardship.  

Refuge: That to which one turns for help when in desperation; a source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble.

For those who have long chosen to dismiss the prophetic with the wave of a hand, and a roll of the eyes, these can be some unnerving and disturbing times.  How could one believe the words of impending judgment, of financial collapse, of natural disasters and of unprecedented tensions, when in the physical all they could see was prosperity, smooth sailing and good times ahead?  

I believe that for some time now we have entered into the realm of fulfillment when it comes to the prophetic warnings concerning this land we love called America, and those wise among us, with the spiritual foresight to see beyond today, and believe the word of God, are not taken by surprise as one improbable event after another takes place.  

Even those of the house of God who have only maintained what they considered to be a relationship with the Father simply because they believed if they faked it well enough, He would bless them abundantly are stunned, speechless, seeing the pieces of the last days puzzle coming together seamlessly as it was foretold in the Word.  The writing is on the wall and though many see it as Belshazzar saw it, due to their deeply held doctrine of never seeing hardship or trouble, of being caught away at the first signs of adversity, they are somehow able to justify indifference toward a loving God, and refuse to prepare themselves for what is about to unfold.  ‘Why should we worry about tomorrow, if we won’t be here to see it?’ This is the deadpan answer I have received so often when attempting to teach on end time prophecy and on end time events.  ‘It’s all well and good brother, but at best this is an intellectual exercise.  We’ll all be in heaven, and have a front row seat watching the times of trouble unfold on the earth.  It is interesting, you’ve put allot of thought into this, but in the end quite pointless.’

Times are changing, life is becoming increasingly difficult, prophecy is being fulfilled, and those who refuse to see the truth of the Gospel continue to keep one eye firmly fixed on the heavens, thinking to themselves, ‘any minute now, He’s got to show up in the clouds any minute now.’

This article is not for such people.  Even when one can prove Biblically that we will be here far longer than they had previously thought, they still refuse to believe it, dragging out the old tired line, ‘that’s the way you choose to interpret it brother, I see it different.’ It is not about interpreting the Word, it’s about reading and receiving it as is, without allowing our personal feelings or emotions to cloud the truth of the Gospel.  

Matthew 24:29-31, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then, the sign of the Son of man will appear in the heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

In the context of this passage, knowing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of mankind spoke them, I would like to broach the subject of sanctuary, or refuge during these times.  As of late I have been asked by a growing number of brothers and sisters, what it is that they should do, and where it is that they should go, knowing the season that approaches.  I will begin by saying that there is no easy answer.  What may be God’s perfect will for me, and what may be my place of safety, may not be thus for my brother or my father.  We must acknowledge the fact that our faith is not collective, and thereby the place of refuge is not a singular geographical location, where all believers will congregate eventually.  

For the past decade or so, men have been popping up throughout this land, claiming to know the place of refuge for all of Christendom, that one specific location wherein God’s children will be protected and spared.  These locations change of course, from one individual to another ranging from Belize, to Chile, to Argentina, to the Ural Mountains, and some easily swayed souls who were not grounded in the Word packed up and moved away without a second thought.  If anyone reading this article today is considering packing up and moving out based on another man’s advice, please, please reconsider.  If God told him to move to Belize, then by all means brother, have a safe flight, and look out for the spiders.  The fact that God told one individual does not mean it is a blanket statement for the entire body of Christ.  When it comes to something such as this, God will speak to each of His children individually, and yes, some will be told to leave, but most will be told to stay, that they may be a testimony of God’s ability to protect even in the eye of the storm.  

Our place of sanctuary is not a geographical location.  Our place of sanctuary is in the will of God, under the shadow of His wing.  If we have not grown and matured in God, if we have not learned to trust Him implicitly in every area of our lives, then it will not matter where we go geographically speaking.  When someone leaves a nation out of fear for what is coming, and not due to the fact that God told him or her to do so, they have removed themselves from under the covering of God’s protection.  

Amos 5:4, “For thus says the Lord of the house of Israel: ‘seek Me and live.”

Yes, I have been praying and petitioning God to allow me to move back to my homeland because it is the desire of my heart, yet here I will stand until He tells me to go.  If He never tells me to go, then here I will be for I know that here is the only place where I will find myself in His perfect will and thereby be spared the judgments that are ready to be poured out upon the ungodly.  

Psalm 33:13-21, “The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.  From the place of His habitation He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.  No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength.  A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.  Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.  Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.  For our heart shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name.”

Oh that we would understand this sacred passage and know where our refuge and our sanctuary truly are.  Oh that we would open our eyes to the reality that our strength, our storehouses, our plans and notions of what will keep us safe are worthless.  Oh that we would see the truth of God’s word and know that those who fear Him, and hope in His mercy will be delivered from death and kept alive in famine.  

Dear friend, if God tells you to go, then by all means go.  However, if God has not spoken, do not make the mistake of presuming to know the mind of God, do not make the mistake of walking out of His perfect will thinking that you know better than He.  If I can encourage you with anything, it is with the reassurance that God is able to protect both you and your family, no matter what may come.  

The judgment of God is reserved for the ungodly, just as the plagues were reserved for Egypt.  In the midst of Egypt there was a land called Goshen, where the children of Israel happened to be.  They had not been told to go anywhere; they were protected exactly where they were.  While the plagues of God rained down upon the land of Egypt, Goshen was at peace, for the children of God dwelt there.  

‘But brother Mike, what about the scripture that tells us to come out of her My people?’ My answer to this, is how can you go when you were not sent?  It is easier to presume a physical exodus from this land, than search our hearts to see if we have come out of Babylon spiritually.  There are countless souls who are still tethered spiritually to the spirit of Babylon, and God in His infinite wisdom is admonishing His people to come out of her, while they may.  

Proverbs 14:26-27, “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.  The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to avoid the snares of death.”

It is not in South America, it is not in the Congo, it is not in Paraguay that the children of God will have a place of refuge it is in the fear of the Lord.  If we are obedient children, He will guide and protect us like a loving Father.  If the fear of the Lord is ever present in our hearts, and as such we remove ourselves from the world, and we learn to hate evil, for the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, then we have strong confidence, for the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, and causes us to avoid the snares of death.  

No, the judgment that is about to descend, not only upon this nation but upon the world is not intended for the children of God, for just as Israel was spared in Goshen, so too will we have a refuge, a safe haven, and a sanctuary in God.  The persecution that will follow however, well that is an article for another time.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

                             BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION

                       AND SOUND THE ALARM IN MY HOLY MOUNTAIN!

                       LET ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND TREMBLE

                       FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD IS COMING!

                       FOR IT IS AT HAND!!!

                                                                        Joel 2:1

                                                                                      COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE

We just celebrated an American Holiday called THANKSGIVING.  This holiday was predicated by our forefathers as a reminder of our freedom from the bondages of foriegn hardship and dictatorship by ruling people who thought it best to control every individuals’ life.  America was founded by men who were tired of the abuse and inhuman treatment they were receiving in Spain and Europe during the 1500’s and 1600’s under kings and nations who had no regard for sub-class human beings.  Somewhere out there, there had to be a land where these suffering people could go and gain freedom.  They found a land “flowing with milk and honey” and they called it America.  In this land was a sparse population of native people who befriended them and taught them how to survive.  They were very thankful.

As time went on, history shows that America became a democratic nation.  It was through wars and hardships, but she fought and fully won her freedom.  A governmental system was set up by the people and for the people.  From it, we received The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, our Bill of Rights and other legislation set up to guard our freedom.  America grew and prospered under this system.  She became a very wealthy nation.  Her people became wealthy and spread the wealth abroad.  Technology flourished and astronomical advances were made that benefitted all mankind.  She became the LEADER OF THE WORLD (in her own eyes).

America was founded on Godly principals, giving God all the glory for her freedom.  We were a nation that was very thankful for all that we had become.  Every Thanksgiving we sit down at our bountiful table, full of good food with family and friends all around.  We have even established missions and food kitchens for those less fortunate who have no families or homes to celebrate in.  It all sounds so good, doesn’t it?

It is now 2008 and something has gone terribly wrong!

“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.  And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!  For all the nations have drunk of the wine of her wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”  And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.  For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.  Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix for her double.  In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’  Therefore her plagues will come in one day–death and mourning and famine .  And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the LORD WHO JUDGES HER.”  Rev. 18:1-8

I keep hearing in my spirit, “Come out of her My people”.  As I read the above passage of scripture, I can’t help but feel that God is calling us to come out of our present day Babylonian system; at least those of us who are hearing His voice.

Our world has become entangled in sin and fornication, drunk on wine and luxurious living.  We have mocked God and trampled on our own constitutional freedoms.  More and more we are seeing the unrighteousness of depraved unclean spirits rising to the surface and commanding the forefront of our attention.  And, we as a people, are giving in.  Slowly, but surely the blinders are covering our vision.  Soon, very few people will be able to see.  Romans 1:28 says, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased (reprobate) mind, to do those things which are not fitting…”  When we forget God and do what ever we want, never acknowledging Him or what He has done for us, then He will cause us to believe the lie (of the devil) and we will suffer the judgment He commands. 

So, if you are HEARING HIS VOICE, give thanks with a greatful heart that you know where you are in HIM; that you are hidden in His protective arms even through tribulation times.  We just might be entering into a time that will change the course of history as we know it.

Zechariah 4

“And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep.  And he said unto me, ‘What seest thou?’  And I said, ‘I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.’  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, ‘What are these, my lord?’  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, ‘Knowest thou not what these be?’  And I said, ‘No, my lord.’  Then he answered and spake unto me saying, ‘This is the word of the LORD (YHVH) unto Zerubbabel, saying, NOT BY MIGHT, NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS.’………

Then answered I and said unto him, ‘What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?’  And I answered again, and said unto him, ‘What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?’  And he answered me and said, ‘Knowest thou not what these be?’  And I said, ‘No, my lord.’  Then said he, ‘These are the TWO ANOINTED ONES, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

I was going to write this time on the Priesthood and Kingship of Yeshua according to the order of Melchizedek when I happened across this passage of Scripture in Zechariah.  This time, it took my breath away as I read it for I had read it many times before and even had parts of it marked in my Bible for reference.   This vision of Zechariah’s spoke so clearly of Yeshua’s priesthood and kingship roles that are in existence today through the house of Judah and the house of Israel.  I saw, as I have been seeing in bits and pieces for several years now, the end time picture of the Kingdom of YHVH.  I saw how God’s people have separated themselves from each other more clearly as the Spirit of YHVH opened up my understanding of this prophetic vision.

Clearly, Zechariah could not have understood this vision in his day, and I’m sure many of his contemporaries thought he was crazy and dismissed this vision as “nothing” because they too, could not understand the meaning.  It held a mystery for the end days time which we are in now.  Sometimes people have dreams or visions or prophecy that sounds “off the wall”.  What are we to do with them?  Cast them aside along with the individual just because it doesn’t sound right or pronounce an analytical judgment on it because it is not understood by anyone at the time?  I recall that when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was going to give birth to the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, her ultimate reaction to this was Luke 2:19, “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  Though she did not comprehend the fullness of this birth, she knew it was from YHVH and did not wince at the persecution which I’m sure came against her as this pregnancy progressed. 

In this scripture we can picture a menorah (seven branched candlestick).  In the picture we see a bowl on the top at the center of the seven branched candle stick.  This bowl is receiving “anointed oil” from two other bowls just above it.  And these bowls are receiving “anointed oil” from the two olive trees; one on each side of the seven branched candlestick.  The center bowl is supplying the candlestick with this “anointed oil”.  Zechariah asks the obvious question, what are these two olive trees?  Then the angel answered him and said that these were the “two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth”.

So the question is, “Who are the two anointed ones represented here?  And what is this golden anointed oil that is being poured out?”

In Romans 11 Shaul talks about these two olive branches.  One he calls a natural olive branch and the other he calls a wild branch.   Both branches are broken off from the root of the natural olive tree.  He is telling us that the “natural” olive branch represents Judah (understood today as Jewish people living in Israel or natural born citizens of that country).  The “wild” branch that he refers to is represented by the Church; those comprised of the lost ten northern tribes of Israel that were dispersed throughout the world and joined with the gentile nations.  Basically he was telling the gentiles that both the Jewish people and the gentile church (those who became believers in Yeshua through a spiritual re-birthing) needed to be grafted back into the root of the original olive tree because they had both walked away from following the commandments of YHVH.  When this process takes place, in its fullness of time, he says, “And so all Israel will be saved…..”Rom 11:28 meaning both the gentile church and the Jewish nation.

Now we can see that the olive branches on either side of the candlestick are represented by the Jewish people (Judah - natural branch) and the Gentile Church (House of Israel - wild branch).  Zechariah says that these two are “anointed ones”. 

Ezekiel 37:15-22 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, “Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, ‘For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions’; then take another stick, and write upon it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:’  And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.  And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, “Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?”  Say unto them, “Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand”.  And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.  And say unto them, “Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land;  And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all:  and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.”

Now we can see the picture of the two branches in a different light.  First, there is Judah, the children of Israel his companions as the natural branches.  Then Joseph, the stick in the hand of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions as the wild branches.  In Zechariah’s vision, both branches are pouring out “anointed oil”.  Oil represents the Holy Spirit (the Ruach HaKodesh).  So what he is seeing is both Jews and Gentiles (Judah and the Church) being anointed and pouring out the Spirit of God upon all flesh.  Both Shaul and Ezekiel are showing us that (at the appointed time) both will come together as one in His hand. 

I believe that when this takes place, there will be the greatest revival man has ever witnessed.  But it will come at a very great cost.  Joel 2:28-32 says,  “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.  And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.  And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fires and pillars of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.  And it shall come to pass that WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.  For in  Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverence, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.”

Church and all believers in Yeshua our King and Priest, the tribulation is about to start, but do not fear for our redemption draws near and YHVH will see us through the tribulation time.  He will not leave us or abandon us, but will see us through every test and trial prior to that great eventful day of the Messiah’s coming to set up His Kingdom to rule and reign over His people.