All
through Gods history there are, what I call, "transitions". We too, are
about to face a transition of God. The spiritual atmosphere in the world is
about to change. God is about to do supernatural things. Many, who have God in a
box, will say "this is not God" and they will fight God and they will
lead others to fight God. There will be a “Great falling away”. Preachers will
still preach to tickle the ears of the listener, only saying that which will
make them comfortable. I am saying to you it is time to think for yourself,
chose for yourself – not comfort – but a relationship with God. Where ever He
leads. Be ready, be vigilant, for the time is at hand - The voice of one crying
in the wilderness - Prepare ye the way of the Lord!!
My whole
thought in this matter rests mostly on these two verses.
Transitions
of God –
For
My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways my ways,
For as the
heavens are higher than the earth,
So are my ways higher than your ways
and My
thoughts than your thoughts. (Is. 55:9)
Arrogance
of man –
...do
not lean on your own understanding… (Prov. 3:5)
Trust in the Lord with all your
heart
and do not lean on your own understanding,
in all your ways acknowledge
Him
and He will direct your paths. (Prov. 5-6)
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Transition I– The big one- In the beginning
Spiritual
and physical rules established
Transition II – Out of Eden– Man disobeys
Spiritual
and physical rules change
Transition III– Noah –
Physical rules change
Transition IV – The Old Covenant –
“The law of the spirit”
Transition V– The New Covenant-
“The
spirit of the law”
Transition VI – The Tribulation –
Transition VII- The Thousand Year Reign –
Transition VIII- Eternity- Heaven & Hell
(There are many other singular moments when God has
moved and temporarily changed some spiritual or physical law. The transitions
above are some of the bigger, more permanent transitions.)
What are they?
God has a plan to bring man into relationship with Him.
He has chosen to implement His plan in stages. Transitions happen when God moves from one stage of His plan to
another stage. To make these transitions, spiritual and physical rules that were in
place no longer apply or are changed in some way. In the process of the
transition the rules usually change quickly but can change more slowly. The things
that are now, become void, different, or unrecognizable. The old is thrown out
and replaced with the new. God does supernatural things during a transition.
We must always be aware of God and
His timing. What He is doing right now and how we must represent Him in the present
stage of His plan. It would not have been good for John the Baptist to say of
Jesus, “Behold the King.” Even though Jesus is king that was not the time to be
recognized as king. The people first needed a savior. He was in step with the
transition of God, God’s plan, God’s voice and His roll in it all. John then
correctly proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.”
An easy example was when transition
IV was taking place God set up the Old Testament Law and the sacrificial
system. This meant men must sacrifice a lamb (or some other animal) to have a
relationship with God. The blood was shed, but animal blood didn’t take away
sin, it only covered it for one year.
When the Spirit and the New Covenant
(Transition V) was made through Jesus, Men could no longer kill a lamb through
the sacrificial system to have a relationship with God, now they must accept
the blood of Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for them. This is a superior
system. The blood of Jesus does not cover sin, but removes it completely. And
to seal the deal the gift of the Holy Spirit is given as the believers guide
through life.
The problem with every transition is the arrogance of man.
Arrogance of man
Arrogance of man is when man relies on their own
ways, thoughts and understanding and he is not sensitive to the voice of the Holy
Spirit. God has given us mysteries, clues, and information about
events to come. It is arrogance when we take that information and make
assumptions into what we think God is doing or what He is going to do or when we try to give answers
where God has not given all the information. We try to fill in the
gaps, connect the dots, or make the puzzle pieces fit together, even if they
don’t fit just right. All people do this. Let’s say God gives us a clear fact
at point A and a clear fact at point C. We, by nature, want to know point B. We
want to know what it will look like, taste like, and feel like. It is human
nature. When Jesus came the first time many people, were fighting against the
very God they said they were serving. They weren’t ready for God’s transition.
They had taught and heard all about the coming of the messiah. How He would
come and what He would do. But they could never even imagine the way, the
thoughts or plans of God. The POINT A they was given was He is coming. The
POINT C was He would be King. They could never have imagined that Gods
plan would take them on a rollercoaster journey of 2,000+ years. (I do realize
I am over simplifying this, but that is what I wish to accomplish in making it
clear.) They thought Messiah would come (Point A) and immediately establish His
Kingdom (Thinking that this was it, Point B). But Gods plan was much more
gracious and clearly above our clearance and pay grade. He desired to include
the whole world in His plan, even the gentiles.
Because they formulated
POINT B in their minds they found themselves on the wrong side of God and what
his plan was AT THE MOMENT. Paul and the Pharisees are a few who thought they
knew God, knew His ways, His thoughts, His plans. Even the disciples missed it,
for the most part, until the Holy Spirit came.
God
purposefully doesn’t give us point B.
Point B is the
relationship maker.
From point A to C, God wants us to trust Him, look to Him, and walk with
Him. He does not want us to trust on ourselves, our intellect, or our logic.
In my searching for the rapture time table, my
concern stopped being when the rapture would occur, but more
towards what will happen to the church if they
expected the rapture to occur and yet found themselves in the middle of the
most terrible time the earth has ever known. What will they feel and
think? Will they blame God or turn away from Him? Could this be…The Great
falling away? There are many opinions on when the rapture will occur. How we
handle these (Point B) ways and thoughts of God, could result in huge
consequences.
I heard a sermon on the end times yesterday. This
pastor was telling of all the events that would come during the tribulation. He
ended his sermon with, “I do not need to fear, because I do not plan on being here.” That is the problem I have. Our
people plan on everything. We have insurance on all the things we own, our
house, cars, boats ect. In all of this we pray we won’t need it, but just in case, we are ready. In our attempts to bring comfort to the church
or for whatever reasons we teach these theories, it may be the very reason many
will fall from the faith. If we
still teach and preach, refusing to even share the other possibilities to our
people, we may be the stumbling block keeping them from Point B, the relationship
maker. Tell me what harm they would receive if they prepared to go through the
tribulation? They would make themselves stronger in the Lord. Learn to overcome
the fear of the future. They will learn to listen to the Spirit and become more
Godly. Otherwise, they may find themselves enrolled in the crash course. We
should allow the church to hear for themselves on the facts of points A and C.
They will then walk out point B by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
They must be told that they might not
be raptured out of the tribulation. This way they can prepare to follow Jesus
wherever he leads, even death, and to count the cost.
We know the end is upon us. We must teach the sheep
to go on with only the "Good Shepherd", trusting in His thoughts and
ways and not arrogantly marching to the intellect of men. Teaching them to
allow the question marks of Point B. Why? Because God thought it was good and
that this is His way to a relationship. I believe, the not knowing, the
listening, the searching, the trusting, the obeying, the following, is the way to
walk this journey with God. I don’t know where He will lead me or what the
circumstances I might find myself. As
long as He and I go there together nothing else really matters.