Questions & Answers
Will there be a latter-rain revival?
First posted: June 19, 2005
Question
A visitor (which we shall call "Mr. V") came across the article 'What is a "false prophet"?' via an e-mail sent to him by another brother (which we shall call "Mr. B"). "Mr. V" then sent a complaint to "Mr. B". This is what "Mr. V" wrote:
In the introduction of this brother's message he wrote:
"There are many false prophets within the "traditional" Christian Church, and God has declared
through His prophets in Scripture that the day will come when these false prophets will be
driven out of the Church and a new prophetic Church will be raised up, a Church that will
transform the world."
Nowhere does God's Word say that God is going to drive out the false prophets and a new
prophetic church will rise up and transform the world. Here is what God says about the
matter:
"24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."
(Matthew 13:24-30)
God's Word says that BOTH the true and the false will be TOGETHER until the end. This is more than just a simple mistake on this minister's part, but what he believes and teaches and you have sent it out to all your readers as the truth of God's Word. I am surprised that you didn't catch that.
In essence, these comments boil down to the following question: "Will there be a latter-rain revival?" If the answer is "yes", the comments quoted from the "False prophet" article would be justified. If the answer is "no", the comments by "Mr. V" would be justified. In this word, we will study this question and see how it relates to Mr. V's comments. We will then be able to see what the Lord was really saying in Matthew 13:24-30.
Answer
It is so angering for me to hear believers who refuse to believe in the "latter-rain" revival that God has prepared for these end times. It would seem as if believers refuse to believe in this transforming revival because it places a burden of responsibility upon their priestly shoulders. According to many believers, what God has called us to do is to simply cross our arms and wait for God to bring about the completion of this age independently of us. This frustrates the heart of God. I know that many will defiantly shout, "God does not get frustrated!! You cannot frustrate an Omnipotent and Omniscient God!!", but those who may say so have three problems:
-
They do not understand the meaning of the word "frustrated"
According to Webster's Dictionary, the verb "to frustrate" means, "to thwart, to prevent from attaining satisfaction or achievement". In other words, frustration occurs when a person has a specific goal in mind and that goal is thwarted or obstructed by external circumstances. Therefore, frustration speaks of a realistically feasible expectation that was not achieved in real life because of uncooperative external factors.
-
They have not been able to perceive the frustration that God expresses throughout many parts of Scripture
Consider the following passages:
"Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me." (Matthew 17:17)
[
When Jesus asked, "Until when?", was Jesus asking for "scheduling information"? Of course not!!! Any intellectually honest person will have to admit that this question is an emotional outburst birthed out of a sense of frustration over hard-hearted people who refused to "get it".]
"21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain 1O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?" (Galatians 2:21-3:1)
[
When Paul said, "I do not frustrate the grace of God", he was indicating that he had the choice to either frustrate or "not frustrate" the grace of God. He did not say "It is impossible for me to frustrate the grace of God" or "We as believers cannot frustrate the grace of God". Notice how he then proceeds to call the Galatians "foolish" in the next verse. This means that, as opposed to him, the Galatians were frustrating the grace of God.
I have met and heard people who will do and say anything to win an argument, without a sincere desire to find the truth. Therefore, I would not be surprised to hear someone say, "Well, this passage speaks about frustrating "the grace of God", not about frustrating God Himself. Such an idiotic argument would reduce God to an impersonal force who is incapable of feeling "acceptance" or "rejection". What would you feel if you bought a precious and expensive gift for a loved one, only to have that loved one unthankfully shove the gift back in your face. Would you say, "My beloved rejected my gift", or would you say, "My beloved rejected me"? If your life is going into the gift, any rejection of the gift amounts to a rejection of you as a person. The "grace of God" is a gift to us that cost Jesus His very life. Therefore, any rejection of that "grace" amounts to a rejection of God Himself. Any frustration of "the grace of God" amounts to frustrating God Himself.]
"He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me." (Luke 10:16)
[The word "despiseth" in this verse was translated from the Greek word atheteo, which is the exact same word that is translated as "frustrate" in Galatians 2:21 quoted above. This verse appears in the context of the "two witnesses" that Jesus would send to a city before visiting it. If God would send these two witnesses to a city, it was because He had an expectation of repentance in that city. If the city's people rejected the two witnesses and refused to repent, they would be frustrating that expectation. By frustrating the two witnesses' expectations of repentance, they were also frustrating God.]
"13Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 15And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood." (Isaiah 1:13-15)
[Notice that God's soul can grow weary of men's actions (v14). Why? Because God is a person, not an impersonal force, and as a person, His interaction with other persons (namely, us) produces the same emotions produced when any one of us interacts with others. He had great expectations for the people of Israel, but the people of Israel constantly frustrated those expectations with their obstinate religiosity. In the same way, today's Church is frustrating God's expectations. While God has had glorious purposes for His Church, the Church has for centuries chosen the road of religiosity, and she stubbornly believes that this religious charade must continue until the ultimate end of all things and Jesus' physical return to rule over the literal city of Jerusalem in the Middle East!!!]
"34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." (Luke 13:34-35)
[The word "would" in verse 34 is a misleading translation of the original text. This word was translated from the Greek word thelo, which literally means, "to will, have in mind, intend". In other words, verse 34 should really say, "how often I intended..." or "how often I willed to...". Therefore, this passage speaks of failed attempts to get Jerusalem to repent, which means that these are words of frustration. God's intentions or expectations had once again been thwarted by the hard-heartedness of others. However, no one can get away with frustrating God. As a result, Jerusalem now had an expectation of judgment that could not be frustrated. Unrepentant man may be able to frustrate God's intention for repentance, but he cannot frustrate God's destructive judgment that comes as a consequence of his stubborn unrepentance.
In this passage (and in many other passages), Jerusalem represents the religious structures that God's people take cover under. Just like the stubborn religious people of Jerusalem, many believers in today's Church believe that they can hide from God's judgments by taking shelter under the comfortable roof of religious structures. Religiosity breeds conformity, which in turn breeds a comfortable delegation of spiritual responsibility to the "religious gurus" (i.e.- the "full-time ministers"). Religiosity breeds stagnation, which produces lower expectations, which in turn allows believers to get rid of that "annoying" sense of frustration. When you don't expect much out of yourself, there is no reason to get "frustrated", is there? Why bother expecting that the believers in God's Church have the potential to manifest God's nature on Earth? Why bother thinking that each believer has the inherent potential to unleash God's power and presence on Earth in a mighty way? Why bother thinking that each believer has the spiritual authority to transform entire nations and continents? Why bother? It is more comfortable to visualize the Church as a bunch of "sinners saved by grace" who will never amount to much! It's more comfortable to visualize the Church as a bunch of weak, "first-Adam" believers who will never manifest Jesus' "last-Adam" nature on Earth. To expect that each believer has the potential of being a physical manifestation of Jesus on Earth is just too much, isn't it? It is better to expect the Church to be a bumbling bunch of fools until Jesus comes. Who cares about God's plans for His Church? Who cares about God's intentions for His Church, right? If the Church never gets past "spiritual mediocrity", we can chalk it up to "bad luck", right? We are still going to enjoy the "happiness" of heaven, aren't we? After all, that's all we signed up for when we received Jesus into our hearts. We were not after the fulfillment of God's eternal purposes for us. We were not after the spiritual Promised Land. All we wanted is to avoid the eternal torment of literal hell, right? Who cares about all the rest? Who cares about being One with God for eternity? Such a "meaningless" thing is not worth us getting "frustrated" over, is it?]
They don't perceive God's frustration because they do not share God's goal
Most believers are not aware of God's frustration because they are not listening to God, and, as a consequence, they don't get to know His desires and visions.
"14For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; 16Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, 17That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. 18He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword." (Job 33:14-18)
[According to verse 17, natural man is unwilling to listen to God, which leads to him not knowing God's purpose.]
This is why God challenges man with the following question:
"19Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 20The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. 21This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise." (Isaiah 43:19-21)
Even as we speak, the God of Israel is doing a mighty work in the spirit realm through His faithful remnant, yet this mighty spiritual work is going unnoticed by the Church's "religious establishment". God has declared that He will make a way in the wilderness, and will make rivers flow in the desert (v19). The Church is like a dry spiritual desert, but only those who have visualized God's prophetic waters can see that. If all you have seen in your life is "dry desert", you will be hard-pressed to recognize the tragedy of the dryness around you. However, if you have spent time listening to the Author of Life, to the Fountain of Living Waters, you will begin to realize that the atmosphere around you is dry and empty. As you continue listening to the Author of Life, you will begin to realize that this is not what God had intended, and as you come to know His original intentions, you will begin to perceive His frustration.
"16They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. 17But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end. 18For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. 19I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right." (Isaiah 45:16-19)
The "makers of idols" (v16) are the Aaronic pastors who fashion "Gods" to the liking of their "Christian" audiences. As we have seen before in great detail, these "Aaronic pastors" are the "false prophets" that Mr. V refers to in his comments!!! Notice, however, what the Lord says in the following verse, verse 17, right after He talks about the idol-making false prophets: Israel shall be saved in the Lord with eternal salvation, and Israel shall not be ashamed nor confounded without end. According to Isaiah 49:3, "Israel" refers to those who faithfully abide in Him:
"1Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. 2And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; 3And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified." (Isaiah 49:1-3)
Notice that "Israel" is called God's servant (v3), and that Israel is like an arrow hidden in God's quiver (v2). As we have said before, "arrows" are associated in Scripture with the prophetic anointing, and, as we have also said before, prophets are explicitly labeled as "servants" throughout Scripture (Amos 3:7, Zechariah 1:6, Revelation 10:7). Therefore, the Lord is saying in Isaiah 45:17 (quoted above) that Yeshua's spirit of True Prophecy shall be restored and that the idol-making false prophets (Isaiah 45:16) shall no longer oppress the true prophetic spirit. Notice that Isaiah 45:17 says that Israel (i.e.- those who abide in the true prophetic spirit) shall not be ashamed by the false prophets "without end", meaning that God will put an end to the domination of the false prophetic spirit inside the Church so that the true prophetic spirit may rise from the oppression and shame it is under in order to glorify God (Isaiah 49:3). Could a Church ruled by the spirit of false prophecy glorify God? Obviously not!!! Therefore, God (not man) is saying in this passage (along with many others) that He will overthrow the false prophets in the Church so that a true prophetic remnant may rise up and glorify God on Earth.
As we have said before, a believer is acting as a "true prophet" if he or she abides in God's judgments and righteousness. This is why Isaiah 49:2 declares that "Israel" has a mouth like a "sharp sword", and the sword in Scripture speaks of God's judgment logos (Hebrews 4:12). In other words, God will raise up a prophetic Church of believers (i.e.- "Israel") who will overcome the oppression of the idol-making false prophets in order to move in a prophetic anointing that releases God's restoration judgments on Earth (Isaiah 1:26-28, Amos 5:24).
Returning to Isaiah 45:16-19 (quoted above), notice that verse 18 declares that God did not create the Earth in vain and that He formed it to be inhabited. Based on the spiritual context of this passage (described above), it can be inferred that the "Earth" is a figure of man (Genesis 2:7) and of the Church. God did not create the Church to be a "vain" (i.e.- purposeless) body. He did not form it to be a spiritually desolate place. He created the Church so that it would be a place full of God's shamah presence. He formed the Church so that it would be full of believers who would manifest His Glory on Earth. That was the purpose and the intention of God when He created the Church. Most of the leaders in the Church, however, do not share God's intention. They see the Church as a place where people go to repeat the "sinner's prayer" and escape from the fires of hell. They don't care if the Church remains a spiritually desolate place full of half-hearted believers and believers who are unable to grow. We cannot understand God's frustration because we do not share His expectations.
"5And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word." (John 17:5-6)
[Notice that Jesus is speaking in John 17 to the faithful remnant that has kept His Word]
"And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them" (John 17:10)
"17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." (John 17:17-19)
[Notice that Jesus prays that the Father sanctify His people through His truth, which, as we have said before, is intimately connected in Scripture to His judgments. Notice also that Jesus did not pray, "Father, keep them playing 'church' until I physically return to be king in Jerusalem". Jesus did not give His life so that the Church would be a mediocre group of believers ruled by false prophets until the end of chronos time!!! That was clearly not His intention.]
Deliverance from false prophets
The deliverance of the Church from the hands of the false prophets is very explicitly stated in Scripture. Consider Ezekiel chapter 13, which is a chapter where God speaks against false prophets:
"3Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! 4O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts." (Ezekiel 13:3-4)
As we have shared before, these prophets are those in the Church who uphold the pastoral matriarchy and shield the Church from God's judgments by practicing dynamis power without practicing logos word. Notice, now, what God says to these false prophets towards the end of the chapter:
"21Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 22Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: 23Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD." (Ezekiel 13:21-23)
[
The false prophets promise life without the need for righteousness (v22). Most believers in the Church are convinced that "eternal life" is equivalent to escaping the torment of literal hell. Therefore, they believe that "eternal life" is achieved once we repeat the "sinner's prayer". However, repentance and being born again is only the beginning of our journey. At that moment, we are taken out of Egypt, never to go back to it, but we begin a road through the desert of judgments which ends with the Promised Land. Not all who come out of Egypt will make it to the promised land of "eternal life", even if they will not be condemned in literal hell.]
God will tear the handkerchiefs that these false prophets have used to cover the heads of believers from the sanity of God's judgments (v21), and He will deliver the Church out of the Jezebelian spell cast by the false prophets (v23). The Prophetic Spirit of God ends chapter 13 of Ezekiel by saying that the false prophets will see the deliverance of His faithful remnant from their hands and be forced to admit that He is Lord (v23). Therefore, this passage very clearly declares the end of a Church dominated by false prophets and the rise of a Church full of believers who move in a true prophetic anointing.
God also speaks against false prophets throughout Jeremiah chapter 23:
"21I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. 23Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? 24Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. 25I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 26How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 27Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal." (Jeremiah 23:21-27)
False prophets prophesy out of the deceit of their own heart (v26). They allow themselves to be deceived by Hittite spirits into saying what they and the audience want to hear. Their prophecies are "false" (i.e.- anti-truth) because they promise grace without truth, resurrection without death, eternal life without death to temporality.
In verse 23, the Lord asks a question that most seem to ignore, "Am I a God at hand, and not a God afar off?", and, in verse 24, He asks a complementary question, "Do not I fill heaven and earth?". In other words, the Lord is saying the following to the Church,
You have reduced Me to a cheap emotional thrill. If I were really among you in the fullness of My presence, wouldn't I fill all in all? If you were really allowing Me to operate freely, would I settle for half the space? Why do you treat Me as if I were a faraway, impersonal God who is not interested in taking the Earth back unto Myself through you?
This is why the Lord inspired Paul to write the following:
"16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Ephesians 1:16-23)
To this day, the Church refuses to understand the "exceeding greatness of His power" that is to be manifested through those who believe (v19), and it is unable to understand that the Body of Christ is called to be the "fullness of Him that fills all in all" (v23). When will the Church understand that it was not placed on this Earth to share this world but to conquer it? When will the Church stop settling for a mediocre spiritual manifestation of God's Presence? When will the Church realize that it has been called to be the channel for the all-invasive manifestation of God's Presence in this Universe? Until when will the Church refuse to open her eyes (v18)?
Returning to Jeremiah chapter 23, notice what the Lord says in verse 20:
"The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly" (Jeremiah 23:20)
The word "consider" was translated from the Hebrew word biyn, which literally means, "to discern, understand". Therefore, the latter part of verse 20 should say, "in the latter days you shall understand it perfectly". Why would God add this comment at the end of this verse? Because God has plans in His heart which are undiscerned by the Church, and, it is in these latter days that the Church will finally understand those plans. He will make known the anger of His judgments and will work a mighty transformation in the Church.
In the follow chapter, Jeremiah chapter 24, the Lord says the following:
"1The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. 2One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. 3Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. 4Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. 6For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." (Jeremiah 24:1-7)
Notice that this passage speaks of two baskets of figs, one with good figs, and one with bad figs; this correlates with the wheat and tares mentioned by "Mr. V" in his comments. In verse 6, the Lord then declares that He will build up and plant the "good figs". This means that, after the "bad figs" are discarded, God will begin an edification process for the "good figs" in the Church. Based on what the Lord declares in the previous chapter (chapter 23), this means that there will be an edification process after the false prophets are dethroned from the Church, which means, once again, that God will raise up a mighty remnant Church that will operate in God's true prophetic spirit in order to invade the world with His shamah presence (Ephesians 1:23, Jeremiah 23:24).
In verse 7, the Lord declares that He will give these "good figs" a heart to know Him, which contrasts with the false prophets who promote deceit after their own heart (Jeremiah 23:26). This means that these "good figs" will have a heart that will be receptive to the leading of God's true prophetic spirit. Why would God give the "good figs" a receptive heart to grow in Him if we are all going to be "raptured up into heaven" right after the "bad figs" are discarded? There will be a restoration process for the Church after the spirit of anti-truth prophecy is dethroned.
In verse 7, the Lord also declares that these "good figs" shall be "His people", and He will be their God. This correlates with the following passage:
"16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:16-18)
Notice how verse 17 speaks of separation: those who are willing to be separated are the "good figs", and those who stay behind are the "bad figs". Notice also how verse 16 declares that God "will walk in them". This means that not all is "finished" or "terminated" after the good figs and bad figs are separated. There will be a process where believers in the Church will finally begin to walk in the fullness of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). This is why the Lord says the following at the end of the book of Amos:
"10All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. 11In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: 12That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. 13Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. 14And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 15And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God." (Amos 9:10-15)
Notice that verse 10 speaks of God's logos sword (Hebrews 4:12) executing judgment on His Church. The "sinners" who shall be judged will be those who say, "the evil shall not overtake us", which means that they are those who do not believe that God makes judgments. As we saw above, the "non-judgment God" is an idol fashioned by the false prophets in the Church. Therefore, verse 10 speaks of the downfall of the spirit of anti-truth prophecy in the Church.
Verse 11 then speaks of the restoration of the "tabernacle of David" (again, we see that, after the fall of the false prophets, a process will be started in the Church). The "tabernacle of David" that Amos 9:11 speaks of refers to the following passage:
"15So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. 16And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. 17And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD." (2 Samuel 6:15-17)
After the ark of the Covenant had been recovered from the Philistines, it was eventually returned to Jerusalem. While the Israelites wandered in the desert, the ark of the Covenant was kept in the "Holy of Holies" inside the intricately designed "tabernacle of Moses", and only the Levite High Priest would be able to enter into the "Holy of Holies" and minister before the ark. Now, the ark of the Covenant, which symbolized the fullness of God's Shekinah presence, was being kept under a simple tent, and David, who was not even a Levite, much less a Levite "High Priest", was ministering before it in that simple tent. Therefore, the "tabernacle of David" represents the New Covenant where all believers have direct access to the fullness of God's Shekinah presence.
The false prophets have created a religious system whereby they have become the spiritual kings of the Church by offering the people temporary "spiritual candy". They tout themselves as the "spiritual experts", as the "spiritual physicians" sent from heaven to bring blessings to the souls of the spiritually lame "average believers". Their message is the following:
"We'll take care of the spiritual stuff. You just worry about your personal little life and about bringing your offerings to the church. We have an access to God that you will never enjoy. We the full-time ministers can operate in the spiritual realm, and you can count on us to take care of all your 'spiritual' needs. We give you 'blessings'; you give us adulation and the monopoly over 'spiritual authority'".
God will break this cursed Old Covenant structure of permanent intermediaries. As Amos 9:11 declares, He will restore the "tabernacle of David", and believers in general will begin to walk and grow in the spiritual authority available to them under the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Notice that Amos 9:13 (quoted above) says, "In those days". The fact that it says "days" in the plural means that the fall of the Old Covenant will be followed by a period of restoration where God's Glory will be manifested in His Church. Amos 9:14 says that, in those days, God will rebuild the "waste cities", i.e.- the spiritual cities that have been wasted away by the false prophets for centuries. God will inhabit these spiritually desolate cities, and the spiritual emptiness and purposelessness inside the Church will be replaced by an amazing infusion of God's transforming presence.
This transforming presence will spread out and touch the nations of the Earth, for God has declared that He will give His people the "remnant of Edom" (Amos 9:12). Edom speaks of the Girgashite spirit of pride-filled earthliness (Obadiah 1:1-9), and, as we have said before, the nations of the Earth are formed as a result of Girgashite influences. Once the Girgashite spirit of Edom is dethroned inside the Church, the Church will have the authority to dethrone it outside the Church. As believers walk in New-Covenant Oneness with God, they will begin to walk as true "sons and daughters" of God, and, as this happens, the nations of the Earth will be conquered unto the Lord:
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14)
"18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." (Romans 8:1
8-21) According to verse 21, the freedom of God's people will unleash a "chain reaction" of freedom across all of creation]
"7I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel" (Psalm 2:7-9)
[
The word "heathen" in verse 8 was translated from the Hebrew word goyim, which literally means "nations"]
According to the Lord, the parable of the wheat and the tares (quoted by Mr. V in his comments) have to do with the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven:
"41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 13:41-43)
[Notice that this passage ends with a warning: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear". Whenever the Spirit of God finishes a passage with these words, He does it to warn us that the passage requires a sensitive prophetic ear that will go beyond a literal interpretation of the passage; without this prophetic sensitivity, the true meaning of the passage will be completely lost and replaced by a deceitful misinterpretation. A literal interpretation of the wheat-and-tares parable has caused most people to classify it as some sort of cataclysmic end of the physical world as we know it, without realizing that it is talking about the latter-day spiritual transformation of the Church and world.]
Notice that the "angels" are not said to bring God's Kingdom from outer space into the Earth. Instead, the "angels" (i.e.- all believers who choose to be agents of God's judgments) will gather out of the Kingdom all things that "offended" and all those who "do iniquity" (v41). In other words, the Kingdom is already here on Earth, and the angels' work is to remove all that hinders and perverts it.
"20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21)
The word "offended" in Matthew 13:41 was translated from the Greek word skandalon, which literally means "stumbling block" or "the moveable stick of a trap". As we have seen before, the word skandalon speaks of all the earthly doctrine inside the Church that is designed to prevent believers from walking in the authority of the Spirit. It is through skandalon traps that the anti-Christs keep other believers under their control. Verse 41 above also speaks of the "doers of iniquity", which, as we have seen before, refers to the false prophets inside the Church. Therefore, the Lord is saying that His "angels" will come to remove the anti-Christ false prophets inside the Church that have worked to prevent God's people from walking in the authority of the Spirit. Once these cursed hindrances are judged and removed, the righteous will be free to "shine forth as the sun" in the Kingdom of their Father (v43). The fact that the Lord said "their Father", instead of just saying "the Father", in verse 43 means that believers in the restored Church will walk in a direct Father-son relationship with God. In Scripture, the "sun", when used in a positive sense, refers to the glory of God. Therefore, the Lord is saying that righteous believers will manifest the fearsome glory of God in the latter-day, restored Church.
Since the parable of the wheat and the tares is related to the Kingdom of God, let us see what the Lord says about the Kingdom of God in other verses of Matthew chapter 13:
"Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened" (Matthew 13:33)
Notice that the Lord compares the Kingdom of Heaven to hidden leaven that grows until the whole mass is leavened. Therefore, the Kingdom of God is a kingdom that is already hidden within us and must steadily grow until it fills all in all (Ephesians 1:23). It is not a Kingdom that suddenly appears from outer space. If the Church does not expand God's Kingdom, the fullness of God's Kingdom will not be manifested on Earth. The expansion of God's Kingdom is a responsibility that God has given unto man. If man does not offer himself as a vessel of expansion, the expansion will not take place. God will not do it for us because that would deny the purpose for which He created us:
"26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (Genesis 1:26-28)
"The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men" (Psalm 115:16)
The Lord also emphasized the "steady growth" of the Kingdom in this parable:
"31Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof" (Matthew 13:31-3
2)
Notice that the Kingdom begins as a seed hidden in the ground, but the seed then grows until it becomes visible above the ground and turns into a mighty tree. The seed of God's Kingdom is hidden in the hearts of those who long to walk in "last-Adam" righteousness, and that seed will eventually grow out of us and fill the Earth. When the seed becomes a tree, it acts like a magnet that draws the birds of the air to it (v32). This speaks of how the full manifestation of God's Kingdom will cause people from all nations to seek after God. As believers begin to walk in their spirit authority, the unbelieving will automatically be drawn in. "If you build it, they will come":
"20Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: 21And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 23Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you." (Zechariah 8:20-23)
A tree does not simply appear out of nowhere. It begins with a hidden seed that grows steadily until it reaches its full manifestation. So will it be with the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is here, inside of us, and it will grow to its full manifestation once the "angels" (i.e.- the judging believers) dethrone the false prophets who have worked to hinder this full manifestation.
When "Mr. V" referred to Matthew 13:24-30, he emphasized that both the wheat and the tares would be together until the "end", which Mr. V and Mr. B interpret as meaning that there will be no "new prophetic Church" that will rise up and transform the world. Obviously, all the prophetic passages we have studied so far cannot be denied, and all of them point to a regenerated Church where believers will grow into the full manifestation of the true prophetic anointing. What, then, does Matthew 13:24-30 really mean when it says that the wheat and the tares will be together till the "end"? To answer this, we must go to how the Lord Himself used the word "end" with regard to this parable:
"37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world." (Matthew 13:37-40)
The words "end" that appear in verses 39 and 40 were translated from the Greek word sunteleia, which is only used once in the New Testament outside of the book of Matthew, in verse 26 of the following passage:
"26For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:26-28)
Notice that verse 26 says, "now ... in the end of the world". Considering the fact that these words were written over 1900 years ago, we can see that the "end" or sunteleia of the world does not refer to what most of us would interpret as the "end of the world". In Scripture, the "end of the world" is the period of time in which the world makes the transition from a soul-dominated world to a Spirit-dominated world, and this transition, according to Hebrews 9:26, began when Jesus died on the cross for us.
The word sunteleia is derived from the words sun meaning "together, with" and telos meaning "end, completion". Therefore, the word sunteleia literally means, "a completion where things come together". Rather than a specific "moment of termination", the sunteleia of the world is a completion process where God brings things together in the spirit realm to complete His work in the Church. This process has been stalled by man for centuries, and, now that things are falling into place, man is making a last-ditch effort to frustrate God's plans. However, God's angels are already in place. They are the faithful remnant with a zeal for God's judgments and justice, and they are the channel through whom God will unleash His anger to destroy those who are trying to frustrate His plans yet again. Frustration always leads to two emotions, anger and sadness, and now there are believers out there who are willing to share in God's anger and God's sadness. This is why the fulfillment of all things is at hand. The latter-rain revival is coming, and the Lord's Glory shall be seen in His Church and in the world.
"7I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. 8Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. 9Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? 10Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth? 11Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me." (Isaiah 45:7-11)
"1Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. 3Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. 4O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. 5Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth." (Hosea 6:1-5)
"1By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 2We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? 5If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. 6If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. 7Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof. 8O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. 9Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones" (Psalm 137:1-8)
Woe be unto me if I forget Jerusalem and believe that she shall not be restored!!!