The Great Shaking: Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls – Part 1
Jesus 101: The Bride’s Role in the Time of Shaking
The Book of Revelation and the Sermon on the Mount are the two teachings in the Bible that carry huge promises of blessing to those who will ”do” them and “teach” them:
Revelation 1:3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and He blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.
Matthew 5:19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
These are the two portions of the Bible most necessary to understand what Jesus’ intention (singular) is for His Bride. To agree with Jesus about these two teachings is to agree with Him about what He is doing in this hour, which is quickly coming to a conclusion. Right now, the Bride is moving from the time of preparation to the time of delivery. In the Bible, there is a “gestation period” for the Bride. Jesus said that His arrival to take over all the kingdoms of the earth is like a birth process.
John 16:20-22 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. (21) A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. (22) Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
The process of birth is the primary analogy the Bible uses of how Jesus’ return will unfold:
Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
1 Thessalonians 5:3-4 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. (4) But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
Birth has three main stages: conception, gestation, and delivery. If you have eyes to see and ears to hear, then you know that we are in the initial stages of delivery, it is about to get 21 kinds of crazy on earth as the contractions get more and more intense, closer together, and more regular. I firmly believe the delivery will take place over the next 7 years. You can take or leave that, but either way, by the signs of His coming, it is years, not decades away.
Jesus gave the Church…His Bride…a role in His return. We are the faithful witnesses to anyone willing to receive truth, that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus gave His Bride, His legal family partner and co-heir of all that is His, the same role He filled in His earthly ministry: to demonstrate who God is to anyone willing to listen. The Bride does this by healing the sick, casting out demons, and teaching new believers everything that Jesus taught:
Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came and told His disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. (19) Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (20) Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
In order for the Bride to fulfill the great commission, she really needs to move in the power of God. The great commission cannot be executed without power from on high. That is why Jesus said this:
Luke 24:47-49 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.' (48) You are witnesses of all these things. (49) "And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven."
The entire process of birth of Jesus’ Bride…all the parts being added…is called in a broad sense the “Day of the Lord.” Jesus said it would “start in Jerusalem”…but it will go to the ends of the earth, culminating in the delivery of the Bride. The day of the Lord is a birth process that was conceived at Pentecost in Jerusalem, gestated over the last 2,000 years as it has mostly weakly spread over the globe out from Jerusalem, and will be delivered very, very, soon in great power!
Just like any other pregnancy, the final delivery is very intense. The Bible calls the beginning of the regular contractions the Tribulation, and the final intense throws of labor the Great Tribulation. The Tribulation marks the beginning of the last 7 years (2,520 days…Jewish years are only 360 days) leading up to the return of Jesus, and the Great Tribulation marks the last 1,260 days.
The conception of the Day of the Lord looked like this to the disciples:
Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This release of the Holy Spirit’s power to the Bride to fulfill the great commission resulted in 3,000 people getting saved in one day by 120 believers, who were the entire Bride of that time…the Bride expanded 25 times in size on the first day by the initial release of power from on high! Peter explained what was happening like this:
Acts 2:14-21 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. (15) For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. (16) But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: (17) 'AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE LAST DAYS, SAYS GOD, THAT I WILL POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH; YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS. (18) AND ON MY MENSERVANTS AND ON MY MAIDSERVANTS I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT IN THOSE DAYS; AND THEY SHALL PROPHESY. (19) I WILL SHOW WONDERS IN HEAVEN ABOVE AND SIGNS IN THE EARTH BENEATH: BLOOD AND FIRE AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. (20) THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE COMING OF THE GREAT AND AWESOME DAY OF THE LORD. (21) AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS THAT WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.'
This was actually the weak beginning to something much bigger that will happen at the time of delivery! Acts was the initial measure, even though right now we live like that is the goal. Acts 2 should be the “baseline” of our expectations. It has already been released.
Peter connected that first outpouring of the Holy Spirit to Joel’s prophecy of the Bride fulfilling the great commission…that is what Peter and the other disciples were instructed to do: in the power of the Holy Spirit, demonstrate by teaching and the performing of miracles, that Jesus is the only way to the reconnection with God, the source of life…anyone who witnesses this truth and calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. That first day, after the demonstration of power, Peter gave the gospel message to explain the “Holy ruckus” the Holy Spirit provided, and 3,000 called on the name of the Lord. This is the simple process we are supposed to be in right now.
The delivery of the Bride will be the full expression of the Day of the Lord. What started at Pentecost in Jerusalem will end up being expressed in more power, in more places, by more people in the next seven years. BUT, God has a plan to “draw this out” of the Bride in a time of great INTENSITY. Just like the disciples prepared for Pentecost by praying in one accord in the upper room, the Bride is supposed to be in all-out prep mode in the House of Prayer right now!
The fullness of the Joel prophecy happens at the release of the sixth seal of Revelation. The sixth seal of Revelation happens after the fifth seal of Revelation. This is the order of the final expression of the Joel prophecy:
1. The Bride enters into tribulation, and martyrdom goes to an all time high GLOBALLY;
2. The martyrdom results in the Bride crying out in prayer to God day and night to break in and avenge the blood of the Bride; and
3. God answers with the pouring out of the spirit on all flesh so that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Here are the Bible verses that you must connect with to see where the world is rapidly speeding right now…like today…today it is speeding like a locomotive to this:
This is what Joel said:
Joel 2:28-32 "And it shall come to pass afterward (after the building of KHOP/Houses of Prayer in Joel 2:12-27) That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. (29) And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (30) (this is when: ) "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. (31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, (this is the 6th seal of Revelation, the only time in the Bible this will happen) Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. (32) (this is why: to save anyone willing to call on the name 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 deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
This is what Revelation 6 says about the fifth and sixth seal:
Revelation 6:9-17 When He (Jesus) opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. (these are martyrs) (10) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (the martyrs are joining their prayers to our prayers…this reality in heaven happens at the same time this reality is happening on earth:)
Luke 18:7-8 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night (This is KHOP/Houses of Prayer) to Him, though He bears long with them? (8) I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
Back to Rev 6:
Revelation 6:11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. (12) (ok…here comes the “pouring out of the spirit on all flesh”) I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. (13) And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. (14) Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. (THAT is a “Holy ruckus” that will give the Bride a great chance to do some gospel preaching!) (15) And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, (16) and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! (17) For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
The Bride won’t be hiding from the face of our beloved, we will be seeking the face of our beloved so that we can answer the world’s question about who is able to stand! We will answer their question just like Peter answered that Pentecost crowd! Look at Psalm 67…this is the end time plan:
Psalms 67:1-7 To the Chief Musician. On Stringed Instruments. A Psalm. A Song. God be merciful to us and bless us,And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah (2) That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. (3) Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. (4) Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah (5) Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. (6) Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. (7) God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
As we seek God’s face in a time of intensity…in the time of judgment…anyone in the world who actually wants truth and life will enter into praise…the House of Prayer…through the fear of the Lord. The Bride responds to the tribulation not by shrinking back from the intensity, but by pressing into God in the intensity, and God answers with the greatest REVIVAL the earth will ever see. This last revival is actually the beginning of the restoration of Eden. But it comes by way of trouble. This is really simple, but hard to stomach if you haven’t taken the time to understand what exactly is coming. Jesus described this exact same order of events:
Matthew 24:9-14 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you (martyrdom is going global), and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. (10) (if you aren’t ready you will quit being a part of the Bride…this is for real. Christianity will be illegal globally…all nations) And then many will be offended, will betray one another (just like Judas betrayed Jesus and the 11), and will hate one another. (11) Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. (12) And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. (13) But he who endures (by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit) to the end shall be saved. (14) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Every time Jesus talked about His return, He told the disciples the same thing: watch, be ready, and pray. These are the three things the Bride is supposed to be all about. This is what the disciples were doing in the upper room. They were praying in one accord (House of Prayer) day and night, getting ready for the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit so they could go out and fulfill the great commission.
Acts 1:13-14 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. (14) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Now, they still had to eat, and pay the rent, and take care of the essentials of staying in the House of Prayer, but the primary reality of their lives was agreeing with Jesus that THIS was an important hour to be getting ready to fulfill the great commission! They entered the upper room, and that is where the Holy Spirit found them at the time God was ready to move!
I would only stay in this "preparation mode" if I were fully committed to both being ready for the very intense events of the Book of Revelation AND fully committed to living in a growing reality of the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle. Without the knowledge of what is coming (Revelation), I will certainly not see the intense importance of doing the preparation ALL IN. Without the Sermon on the Mount being my primary mode of life, I could never live in that close proximity with a bunch of other intensely committed people without quitting! These two realities are supposed to be the only mode the Bride lives in!
The House of Prayer is designed by God to be “Revelation Boot Camp.”
But the Bride has slid very far from this reality. To most of us night and day prayer sounds like a weird new thing…Revelation is nearly untaught in the vast majority of our congregations. Your idea of normal would be sickly and abnormal to the first disciples.
VERY few members of the Bride, especially the Church in the west, have made this what their entire lives are about, but this is Jesus 101. Without this basic reality being the major focus of my life, I have actually missed the basic instruction Jesus gave me to "do and teach" until His return. For real. It is living in this truth that will keep me from falling away in the most intense time to ever hit planet earth. Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount like this…this is what it is ALL about:
Matthew 7:21-29 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (22) Many will say to Me in that day (in that day means the Day of the Lord…the time of delivery), 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' (23) And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (24) "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: (25) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. (26) "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: (27) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." (28) And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, (29) for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
What the disciples experienced at Pentecost was the fruit of the Sermon on the Mount (dying to yourself to fulfill the great commission) “meeting” the truth and time sensitive intensity of the Book of Revelation (recognizing that Jesus is very intent on delivering His Bride so that all of creation can move on with life). Believe it or not, this is really ALL the Bride is supposed to be about right now.
God, in His wisdom has MANY ways and places that the Bride can function in this basic truth, but the basic truth is still the same: I am supposed to be entirely about this business of delivering the Bride (everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be the Bride forever and ever). A day is coming soon when the time of delivery will begin.
More soon….
The Book of Revelation and the Sermon on the Mount are the two teachings in the Bible that carry huge promises of blessing to those who will ”do” them and “teach” them:
Revelation 1:3 God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and He blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.
Matthew 5:19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
These are the two portions of the Bible most necessary to understand what Jesus’ intention (singular) is for His Bride. To agree with Jesus about these two teachings is to agree with Him about what He is doing in this hour, which is quickly coming to a conclusion. Right now, the Bride is moving from the time of preparation to the time of delivery. In the Bible, there is a “gestation period” for the Bride. Jesus said that His arrival to take over all the kingdoms of the earth is like a birth process.
John 16:20-22 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. (21) A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. (22) Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
The process of birth is the primary analogy the Bible uses of how Jesus’ return will unfold:
Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
1 Thessalonians 5:3-4 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. (4) But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
Birth has three main stages: conception, gestation, and delivery. If you have eyes to see and ears to hear, then you know that we are in the initial stages of delivery, it is about to get 21 kinds of crazy on earth as the contractions get more and more intense, closer together, and more regular. I firmly believe the delivery will take place over the next 7 years. You can take or leave that, but either way, by the signs of His coming, it is years, not decades away.
Jesus gave the Church…His Bride…a role in His return. We are the faithful witnesses to anyone willing to receive truth, that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus gave His Bride, His legal family partner and co-heir of all that is His, the same role He filled in His earthly ministry: to demonstrate who God is to anyone willing to listen. The Bride does this by healing the sick, casting out demons, and teaching new believers everything that Jesus taught:
Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came and told His disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. (19) Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (20) Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
In order for the Bride to fulfill the great commission, she really needs to move in the power of God. The great commission cannot be executed without power from on high. That is why Jesus said this:
Luke 24:47-49 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.' (48) You are witnesses of all these things. (49) "And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven."
The entire process of birth of Jesus’ Bride…all the parts being added…is called in a broad sense the “Day of the Lord.” Jesus said it would “start in Jerusalem”…but it will go to the ends of the earth, culminating in the delivery of the Bride. The day of the Lord is a birth process that was conceived at Pentecost in Jerusalem, gestated over the last 2,000 years as it has mostly weakly spread over the globe out from Jerusalem, and will be delivered very, very, soon in great power!
Just like any other pregnancy, the final delivery is very intense. The Bible calls the beginning of the regular contractions the Tribulation, and the final intense throws of labor the Great Tribulation. The Tribulation marks the beginning of the last 7 years (2,520 days…Jewish years are only 360 days) leading up to the return of Jesus, and the Great Tribulation marks the last 1,260 days.
The conception of the Day of the Lord looked like this to the disciples:
Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. (3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This release of the Holy Spirit’s power to the Bride to fulfill the great commission resulted in 3,000 people getting saved in one day by 120 believers, who were the entire Bride of that time…the Bride expanded 25 times in size on the first day by the initial release of power from on high! Peter explained what was happening like this:
Acts 2:14-21 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. (15) For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. (16) But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: (17) 'AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE LAST DAYS, SAYS GOD, THAT I WILL POUR OUT OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH; YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS. (18) AND ON MY MENSERVANTS AND ON MY MAIDSERVANTS I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT IN THOSE DAYS; AND THEY SHALL PROPHESY. (19) I WILL SHOW WONDERS IN HEAVEN ABOVE AND SIGNS IN THE EARTH BENEATH: BLOOD AND FIRE AND VAPOR OF SMOKE. (20) THE SUN SHALL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE COMING OF THE GREAT AND AWESOME DAY OF THE LORD. (21) AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS THAT WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.'
This was actually the weak beginning to something much bigger that will happen at the time of delivery! Acts was the initial measure, even though right now we live like that is the goal. Acts 2 should be the “baseline” of our expectations. It has already been released.
Peter connected that first outpouring of the Holy Spirit to Joel’s prophecy of the Bride fulfilling the great commission…that is what Peter and the other disciples were instructed to do: in the power of the Holy Spirit, demonstrate by teaching and the performing of miracles, that Jesus is the only way to the reconnection with God, the source of life…anyone who witnesses this truth and calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. That first day, after the demonstration of power, Peter gave the gospel message to explain the “Holy ruckus” the Holy Spirit provided, and 3,000 called on the name of the Lord. This is the simple process we are supposed to be in right now.
The delivery of the Bride will be the full expression of the Day of the Lord. What started at Pentecost in Jerusalem will end up being expressed in more power, in more places, by more people in the next seven years. BUT, God has a plan to “draw this out” of the Bride in a time of great INTENSITY. Just like the disciples prepared for Pentecost by praying in one accord in the upper room, the Bride is supposed to be in all-out prep mode in the House of Prayer right now!
The fullness of the Joel prophecy happens at the release of the sixth seal of Revelation. The sixth seal of Revelation happens after the fifth seal of Revelation. This is the order of the final expression of the Joel prophecy:
1. The Bride enters into tribulation, and martyrdom goes to an all time high GLOBALLY;
2. The martyrdom results in the Bride crying out in prayer to God day and night to break in and avenge the blood of the Bride; and
3. God answers with the pouring out of the spirit on all flesh so that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Here are the Bible verses that you must connect with to see where the world is rapidly speeding right now…like today…today it is speeding like a locomotive to this:
This is what Joel said:
Joel 2:28-32 "And it shall come to pass afterward (after the building of KHOP/Houses of Prayer in Joel 2:12-27) That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. (29) And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. (30) (this is when: ) "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. (31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, (this is the 6th seal of Revelation, the only time in the Bible this will happen) Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. (32) (this is why: to save anyone willing to call on the name 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 deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
This is what Revelation 6 says about the fifth and sixth seal:
Revelation 6:9-17 When He (Jesus) opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. (these are martyrs) (10) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (the martyrs are joining their prayers to our prayers…this reality in heaven happens at the same time this reality is happening on earth:)
Luke 18:7-8 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night (This is KHOP/Houses of Prayer) to Him, though He bears long with them? (8) I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
Back to Rev 6:
Revelation 6:11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. (12) (ok…here comes the “pouring out of the spirit on all flesh”) I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. (13) And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. (14) Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. (THAT is a “Holy ruckus” that will give the Bride a great chance to do some gospel preaching!) (15) And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, (16) and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! (17) For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
The Bride won’t be hiding from the face of our beloved, we will be seeking the face of our beloved so that we can answer the world’s question about who is able to stand! We will answer their question just like Peter answered that Pentecost crowd! Look at Psalm 67…this is the end time plan:
Psalms 67:1-7 To the Chief Musician. On Stringed Instruments. A Psalm. A Song. God be merciful to us and bless us,And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah (2) That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. (3) Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. (4) Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah (5) Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. (6) Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. (7) God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
As we seek God’s face in a time of intensity…in the time of judgment…anyone in the world who actually wants truth and life will enter into praise…the House of Prayer…through the fear of the Lord. The Bride responds to the tribulation not by shrinking back from the intensity, but by pressing into God in the intensity, and God answers with the greatest REVIVAL the earth will ever see. This last revival is actually the beginning of the restoration of Eden. But it comes by way of trouble. This is really simple, but hard to stomach if you haven’t taken the time to understand what exactly is coming. Jesus described this exact same order of events:
Matthew 24:9-14 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you (martyrdom is going global), and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. (10) (if you aren’t ready you will quit being a part of the Bride…this is for real. Christianity will be illegal globally…all nations) And then many will be offended, will betray one another (just like Judas betrayed Jesus and the 11), and will hate one another. (11) Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. (12) And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. (13) But he who endures (by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit) to the end shall be saved. (14) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Every time Jesus talked about His return, He told the disciples the same thing: watch, be ready, and pray. These are the three things the Bride is supposed to be all about. This is what the disciples were doing in the upper room. They were praying in one accord (House of Prayer) day and night, getting ready for the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit so they could go out and fulfill the great commission.
Acts 1:13-14 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. (14) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Now, they still had to eat, and pay the rent, and take care of the essentials of staying in the House of Prayer, but the primary reality of their lives was agreeing with Jesus that THIS was an important hour to be getting ready to fulfill the great commission! They entered the upper room, and that is where the Holy Spirit found them at the time God was ready to move!
I would only stay in this "preparation mode" if I were fully committed to both being ready for the very intense events of the Book of Revelation AND fully committed to living in a growing reality of the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle. Without the knowledge of what is coming (Revelation), I will certainly not see the intense importance of doing the preparation ALL IN. Without the Sermon on the Mount being my primary mode of life, I could never live in that close proximity with a bunch of other intensely committed people without quitting! These two realities are supposed to be the only mode the Bride lives in!
The House of Prayer is designed by God to be “Revelation Boot Camp.”
But the Bride has slid very far from this reality. To most of us night and day prayer sounds like a weird new thing…Revelation is nearly untaught in the vast majority of our congregations. Your idea of normal would be sickly and abnormal to the first disciples.
VERY few members of the Bride, especially the Church in the west, have made this what their entire lives are about, but this is Jesus 101. Without this basic reality being the major focus of my life, I have actually missed the basic instruction Jesus gave me to "do and teach" until His return. For real. It is living in this truth that will keep me from falling away in the most intense time to ever hit planet earth. Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount like this…this is what it is ALL about:
Matthew 7:21-29 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (22) Many will say to Me in that day (in that day means the Day of the Lord…the time of delivery), 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' (23) And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (24) "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: (25) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. (26) "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: (27) and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." (28) And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, (29) for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
What the disciples experienced at Pentecost was the fruit of the Sermon on the Mount (dying to yourself to fulfill the great commission) “meeting” the truth and time sensitive intensity of the Book of Revelation (recognizing that Jesus is very intent on delivering His Bride so that all of creation can move on with life). Believe it or not, this is really ALL the Bride is supposed to be about right now.
God, in His wisdom has MANY ways and places that the Bride can function in this basic truth, but the basic truth is still the same: I am supposed to be entirely about this business of delivering the Bride (everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be the Bride forever and ever). A day is coming soon when the time of delivery will begin.
More soon….
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