“I don’t fully understand the extent of what is happening but believe I will in time.” As always let the word of God answer. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23)
Your spirit awakened by the truth of the Holy Ghost. Your eyes opened to the glorious light of Christ our Lord. Your thinking is being reshaped to conform to the gospel. You are being allowed to see and hear mysteries that have remained hidden to the world. You are being offered a lighted path to the Father above, in whom is eternal life.
The day of Pentecost was the separation of the flesh and spirit. It was not the flesh of mankind that was awakened, it was the spirit. God is the Father of all things, “in whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:10) Not only are we subject to correction in the flesh but “shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” (Hebrews 12:9) God gives the Holy Ghost to whom he will, and this spirit reveals the whole world in its spiritual form. Jesus has authority over all spirits both good and evil. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) The four beasts of the earth fell down before the Lamb when he took the book out of the right hand of God. (Revelation 5:8) The incorruptible word of God. When you realize that Jesus took this word from the right hand of God and gave it to you by his spirit, you then see all things are at his feet.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost fell upon some, making them aware that Jesus is indeed the eternal King of all things. But Joel said, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.” (Romans 11:7). The promise of God was not given to the Jewish people according to the flesh, but the elect received the Holy Spirit of promise. The rest also received a spirit from God, “(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” (Verse 8)
Many in Jerusalem, especially the high ranking religious leaders, refused to believe that these Galileans had received the Holy Spirit that the prophet Joel said would come. Remember, Joel said your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Sons and daughters according to the spirit, not according to the flesh. Not all were children of the Holy Ghost, and these received the spirit of slumber. They were not awakened to the coming of the spirit of God. But those that heard and believed the gospel as it was delivered by the apostles became the sons and daughters of the spirit. Timothy was not the apostle Paul’s son according to the flesh, but he was Paul’s son in the gospel. Paul said, “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith.“ (1 Timothy 1:2)
The kingdom of God includes all creation. All things seen and unseen. In six days, God created the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day he rested. The seven churches and the seven angels are written of in the book of Revelation. The seven seals that are opened one by one and the seven angels poured out the wrath of God upon the earth. The number seven represents completion in the plan of God. Man was created in God’s sixth day (another mystery I hope to show you, God willing) but he is not a complete man until he enters into the day of the Lord, in spirit. God’s holy sabbath; rest for the soul.
The Lord’s time is not our time. His days are without number. When we speak of the seven days of God’s kingdom, we are not talking about seven twenty-four-hour periods. His days can be thousands of our years. (2 Peter 3:8) Millions or eons of time.
God created the natural world and the man of flesh and blood to inhabit it. He also created the spiritual world and the man of spirit to inhabit it. Before our Lord Jesus Christ came and preached the gospel and gave us the Holy Ghost to instruct us in understanding, we walked in the natural world. The natural being only half of God’s complete plan of seven. But when we are born by the Holy Spirit of truth, we walk in the other half of God’s seven days of creation. Thus for 3 ½ spiritual years of God’s time, we are nourished on the spiritual body of Christ. This word that we study and digest gives us spiritual food and strength.
The church, God’s elect, is nourished in the spiritual realm of God for 3 ½ years, or until all things are completed in you. Behold the kingdom of God is within you. Safe from the face of the serpent. Read Revelation chapter twelve, beginning at verse six carefully and you will see that this speaks of spiritual things. Divide the days in verse six into years. Or, the forty two months in chapter eleven verse two, which is the same as a time, and times and half a time, in chapter twelve, verse fourteen. This is the time of the spirit.
“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (Matthew 24:34) The generation of the Holy Ghost has spiritual eyes of understanding. God’s awakened people. “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.” (Psalm 90:1) “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5). “This generation shall not pass.”
Paul said, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God.” (Colossians 1:25)
Then we must ask ourselves, is the word of God completely fulfilled? As the Lord said, “till all these things be fulfilled.” These things, all things written in the word of God. This generation born of the word shall not pass as long as the word abides. How long will the word of God endure? “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) If his word shall not pass away, neither shall the people who abide in his word. This generation, the generation of the spirit shall endure as long as God’s word shall endure. How long? Forever and ever.
When you therefore see these things, the revelations of the spirit, flee the wrath of God that is close behind. “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.” (Matthew 24:16) These words of Jesus speak to the spirit of those who hear and see, as David testified, “In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” (Psalm 11:1) “The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.” (Psalm 72:3) “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” (Psalm 125:2)
Remember the things I showed you about spiritual Jerusalem? As the natural mountains are round about the natural city, so the Lord is round about his people in spiritual Jerusalem. And he said by the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel, “I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.” (Ezekiel 34:14) “Fold” or sheepfold, a place of safety. Remember how the church is nourished in the spiritual wilderness?
In a time of great calamity, fleeing one’s home with no opportunity to retrieve any belongings would be a most difficult departure. Having a small child totally dependent on his mother would be an even greater hardship. The child cannot endure the elements or the lack of constant care. The mother would first need nourishment for herself to provide nourishment for the child. She would need to find shelter to protect her child from the changing weather. Remember, in fleeing there is a period of time and a distance to cover before they reach the safety of the mountains. (Read Matthew 24:16-19.)
So, when you see the enemy revealed, and he is already within the walls of religion killing with the sword (the word) and taking captive the souls of men (by false doctrine), this is that abomination spoken of by the prophet Daniel. (Verse 15)
A small child? One that requires the milk of the word, unable to eat or digest anything stronger. Before a religious adult can nourish a child, they would first need to find spiritual nourishment for themselves. In this time of great spiritual calamity, do all find the truth that is essential to sustain life? Are all able to find shelter in the word and protect their spiritual offspring from an hostile environment? There is a transition period in which the child requires constant care and protection. If the spiritual mother is weak, woe unto her and her spiritual offspring. False religion suffers many such afflictions.
“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.” (Verse 20) In the wintertime nothing grows, all is dormant. Just as religion, church and doctrine are dormant without the spirit of revelation, and nothing grows to sustain spiritual life.
“Neither on the sabbath day.“ Many restrictions were placed on the sabbath day under Jewish law. Such as bear no burden (Jeremiah 17:21), let no man go out of his place (Exodus 16:29), kindle no fire on the sabbath day (Exodus 35:3), and travel no more than a sabbath day’s journey (Acts 1:12), which was said to be two thousand paces or about six furlongs. The same distance the people were required to keep between themselves and the ark of the covenant. (Joshua 3:4) Paul said that the many ordinances were against the people. (Colossians 2:14)
So then, if religious people today are bound by many natural ordinances and duties, they are not free to turn loose and get away or “flee to the mountains.” Some are so shackled by the restraints of their interpretation or by denominational doctrine that they refuse to flee even when they are warned. Clinging to their vain imaginations and misguided understanding and meeting spiritual death without moving out of their steps.
May God bless you and keep you.
