The Great Shaking: Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls – Part 4
The Valley of Decision
Right now God is “hemming” the earth into the “valley of decision.” This is the final end-time decision for who mankind will trust. God has given great “dignity” to mankind. Our decisions really matter. God is in the middle of a grand rescue operation to restore life. When Adam and Eve ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they died. They didn’t immediately fall over dead, but life, as God defines it, stopped.
Mankind was meant to live in the glory of God. God is the light of mankind. Just like a tree needs the light of the sun to live, mankind can only live in the glory of God…the light of His presence. The fire of God. God is a consuming fire. His glory…the light of His presence…is consuming and life giving. This is how God depicted himself to Moses: the burning bush, consuming and giving life. Living lukewarm for God is OFFENSIVE to Him. He is consumed with desire for His creation….to be in the middle of everything He made to be very good. He expects the same jealous desire to be with Him. He will only live forever with a people equally yoked in love.
What we are experiencing right now and calling “life” is MUCH less than what God called very good. Until God is back on earth face to face with His people, true life is on hold. Earth cannot be very good again until this happens:
Revelation 21:3-5 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. (4) And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (5) Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
Right now, there is enough glory coming from the throne of God, located on the other side of the spiritual veil, to keep the earth living. BUT, this is not what God made and called “very good.” Right now…as we speak…most of the earth, both inside the church and outside the church, is trying to make something good of their lives without giving everything to agree with God to make the earth ready to receive Him. This is going to change in one generation.
Most western believers, because we have been engulfed in comfort our whole lives, think that following Jesus is letting Him direct them to more and more blessing, not realizing Jesus is intensely executing His own rescue plan right now. Even people that love Jesus mostly think that He will just come when He comes, and there isn’t much to be done about it either way. This is woefully inaccurate. There is MUCH to be done right now. Jesus has a VERY specific plan to return. Line upon line, chapter upon chapter, book upon book…the Bible, the history of the earth, and our own personal testimony are ALL pointing to the events that culminate in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. People loyal to Jesus are supposed to know what to watch for, know what to pray for, and know how to be ready:
Mark 13:35-37 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— (36) lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. (37) And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
The truth is, most Christians hear this warning and think Jesus is giving it to unbelievers! Nope. Look at Peter’s words…He knew the warning was for the DISCIPLES…Jesus’ friends who walked and lived with Him for 3.5 years! Jesus confirmed Peter’s thought.
Luke 12:40-43 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (41) Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?" (42) And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? (43) Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
Jesus said “if you are my steward, be wise and heed my warning so that you can feed the other servants (believers) truth when they need it.” In my opinion mostly gained from watching the news, Jesus’ servants WILL desperately need it soon. Right now, there are very few even trying to understand what is happening, let alone feed the other SERVANTS truth. The servants are all supposed to be bringing in more servants and then getting them ready for the intense events Jesus kept warning about!
This is the problem most people have with the warnings in the Bible: believers tend to think the warnings are for those “outside”…the unbeliever…and all the good stuff is for those “inside.” This is not true. Unbelievers don’t read the Bible. Both the warnings AND the promises are for God’s people. For example, look at what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 5:10-13 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (13) "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
This is a warning AND a promise, both directed at believers! How do we know? Because none of the prophets were killed by unbelieving gentiles! All the prophets were killed by the leaders of God’s people. Unbelievers generally don’t give a rip what the prophets of God’s people are saying…if you don’t believe in the God behind the prophet, then you generally aren’t too concerned , let alone offended, with what the prophet himself is saying. It is those that are invested in the God of the prophet that find the strong words of God through a prophet most offensive.
I need to understand that the warnings God gives are directed to me, his son, co-heir with His firstborn Son. God corrects all those who are His kids by warnings, and then with discipline, if the warning is not heeded:
Hebrews 12:5-8 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children? He said, "My child, don't make light of the LORD's discipline, and don't give up when He corrects you. (6) For the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child." (7) As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? (8) If God doesn't discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His children at all.
Right now, the earth is entering the time when God, in one generation, is going to hem the earth in so that everyone who truly wants to be His child will stand through the intense time in the same way Jesus did: full of the Spirit, walking in miraculous power, and seeking and saving the lost. This was Jesus “suffering.”
Romans 8:17-21 And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. (18) Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. (19) For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. (20) Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, (21) the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
It is common for us to limit Jesus suffering to the days he spent being tried by Pontius Pilate, crucified, dying, and being buried. BUT, Jesus suffered from the moment He stepped away from LIFE at the right hand of God the Father! Before coming to earth as a baby, Jesus was living in the glory of the Father, full of every divine privilege. From the moment He said “yes” to the Father’s plan, He put His own life of divine privilege on hold and began suffering:
Philippians 2:5-9 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. (6) Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. (7) Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, (8) He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. (9) Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names,
Right now, the western Church has mostly missed this concept. Many Christians are taught to “add Jesus in” as fire insurance, and at the same time seek to build a “good life,” waiting for the “imminent return” of Jesus. This life looks very “Christian.” It requires going to church, taking your kids to Sunday school, volunteering to help here and there. This American Christian life requires enough Christian “suffering” to make us feel good that we are actually doing something…but not too much. Just enough to keep up with the rest of church, while maintaining balance with life the way the rest of the world defines it! No!
This is not at all what Jesus described following Him as. Jesus said that choosing Him was choosing the same thing He chose: putting every aspect of having a “good life” here on hold. This means forgoing life NOW until life is ACTUALLY possible when Jesus shows up face to face:
Matthew 16:24-27 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (25) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (26) For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (27) For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Sharing in Jesus’ suffering means trading whatever you might desire to accomplish in this life to participate “all-in” on the plan Jesus has to return. He has a VERY specific plan. It is this BRILLIANT plan that will actually produce, in one generation, a pure and spotless Bride…a companion of people who have actually voluntarily chosen to share in Jesus’ suffering. Voluntary lovers of the crucified King who, as the world’s greatest witness of the victory of love over fear, bring in the greatest harvest of souls the planet has ever seen!
The details of this plan are intricate and many. There is much to know and be ready for, but most believers have explained it away as “symbolic,” “unknowable,” or accomplished “eventually” by angels or unfortunate unbelievers who don’t get raptured but somehow get saved only to be the most unfortunate followers of Jesus to ever exist. This is all non-Biblical theology. There is only one way people get saved, and it is by other people who already believe preaching to them in power:
Romans 10:10-15 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (11) As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced." (12) Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. (13) For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." (14) But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? (15) And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"
Those with “beautiful feet” are prophesied for the end times…the last days…the great harvest that will eventually end with all of Israel living on planet earth at the time, in the last generation, getting saved:
Isaiah 52:5-9 What is this?" asks the LORD. "Why are My people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long. (6) But I will reveal My name to My people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the One who speaks to them." (7) How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! (8) The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the LORD returning to Jerusalem. (9) Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the LORD has comforted His people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.
This is Jesus’ plan, to rescue His enslaved Jewish people through a group of singing watchmen who demonstrate the power of the Lord as a faithful witness of who Jesus is until Israel recognizes Jesus as messiah and invites Him back to be their Lord! This is what is starting to happen RIGHT NOW.
Israel is actually in the final leg of a process of choosing to get herself enslaved one last time by trusting in a man and his superpower country to protect her. Jesus has for 2,000 years wanted to give Israel, and anyone else who would listen, rest:
Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."
But Israel doesn’t want invisible Jesus who rode into Jerusalem once on a donkey. They don’t want weakness! They want someone with lots of guns and money! Most of the earth, even those who bear Jesus’ name, don’t want weakness either! They love Jesus the teacher, they love Jesus the healer, they love Jesus the one who makes them feel clean inside, but they mostly don’t trust that he actually can provide when there is no visible means, or believe that He is ACTUALLY stronger than any man or army they can see! No, Israel and most of the world mostly trusts the security a man and his government is promising them. Just like Israel chose Saul to be her king, just like she chose Caesar to be her king and rejected Jesus, right now…in the news…Israel is making a covenant with death:
Isaiah 28:11-19 So now God will have to speak to His people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language! (12) God has told His people, "Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest." But they would not listen. (13) So the LORD will spell out His message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured. (14) Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem. (15) You boast, "We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception." (16) Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. (17) I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away. (18) I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground. (19) Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away." This message will bring terror to your people.
This is not what God desires. God wants the trust of everyone He has made. He wants us free from the tyranny that comes from putting your trust in a king to save you. Jesus wants the world putting their lives on hold…holding out for life with Him, just like He has for us! He wants the world to long to be with Him so much that they would refuse to have a “good life” without His physical face to face presence on earth. He desires, and has a plan to make the space for, His children to be revealed in the sharing of His suffering in this way as a witness to those choosing death that they might turn and be saved…and when they do, He has a brilliant plan for them to walk in so much power that they will finally “do the greater things” than Jesus did! This is the end time revival that comes with the end time trouble.
Jesus has all the plans laid out. They are clearly written in the Bible. BUT to choose to participate in this glorious plan, you have to know and understand the plan. You need to watch, pray, and be ready in a very specific way. It is night and day worship and prayer that those who share in Jesus’ suffering will choose. From the place of prayer…the consecrated solemn assembly outlined in Joel 2….Jesus will pour out His Spirit on all flesh in the middle of the tribulation that all who call on the name of the Lord would be saved.
Right now the earth is being hemmed into this choice: find out and agree with Jesus’ plan to fight with singing…like Jehoshaphat did… or trust in the strength of mankind and his governmental promises, even though those same promises are failing all over the earth and producing riots and revolutions! This is the valley of decision Joel spoke of:
Joel 3:9-14 Say to the nations far and wide: "Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors. Let all your fighting men advance for the attack. (10) Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. (11) Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley." And now, O LORD, call out your warriors! (12) "Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the LORD, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all. (13) Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the winepress is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people." (14) Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the LORD will soon arrive.
Right now God is beginning to shake everything that can be shaken. Right now God is ALSO raising up the end time Tabernacle of David…places of night and day prayer and worship where everyone sharing in Jesus suffering…putting life on hold to give it all to the plan Jehoshaphat was given to conquer His enemies. This is happening all over the globe as one of the greatest signs of the times. This is the only plan there is:
Amos 9:9-15 "For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost. (10) But all the sinners will die by the sword—all those who say, 'Nothing bad will happen to us.' (11) "In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory. (12) And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be Mine. " The LORD has spoken, and He will do these things.
This is the warning to those who say “nothing bad will happen to us.” The King James translates it like this:
Amos 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
This is the warning God is releasing right now. He is saying “do not say the trouble will not overtake you. “ He is saying that you need to see the trouble in order to respond to it now, while there is time. Now is the time to decide the trouble is real, and so is the plan to overcome it!
Joel 2:11-18 The LORD is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is His mighty army, and they follow His orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive? (12) That is why the LORD says, "Turn to Me now, while there is time. Give Me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. (13) Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead." Return to the LORD your God, for He is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. (14) Who knows? Perhaps He will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before. (15) Blow the ram's horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. (16) Gather all the people—the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. (17) Let the priests, who minister in the LORD's presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray, "Spare Your people, LORD! Don't let Your special possession become an object of mockery. Don't let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, 'Has the God of Israel left them?'" (18) Then the LORD will pity His people and jealously guard the honor of His land.
Joel 2:28-32 "Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. (29) In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on servants—men and women alike. (30) And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke. (31) The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. (32) But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called.
Right now God is “hemming” the earth into the “valley of decision.” This is the final end-time decision for who mankind will trust. God has given great “dignity” to mankind. Our decisions really matter. God is in the middle of a grand rescue operation to restore life. When Adam and Eve ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they died. They didn’t immediately fall over dead, but life, as God defines it, stopped.
Mankind was meant to live in the glory of God. God is the light of mankind. Just like a tree needs the light of the sun to live, mankind can only live in the glory of God…the light of His presence. The fire of God. God is a consuming fire. His glory…the light of His presence…is consuming and life giving. This is how God depicted himself to Moses: the burning bush, consuming and giving life. Living lukewarm for God is OFFENSIVE to Him. He is consumed with desire for His creation….to be in the middle of everything He made to be very good. He expects the same jealous desire to be with Him. He will only live forever with a people equally yoked in love.
What we are experiencing right now and calling “life” is MUCH less than what God called very good. Until God is back on earth face to face with His people, true life is on hold. Earth cannot be very good again until this happens:
Revelation 21:3-5 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. (4) And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (5) Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
Right now, there is enough glory coming from the throne of God, located on the other side of the spiritual veil, to keep the earth living. BUT, this is not what God made and called “very good.” Right now…as we speak…most of the earth, both inside the church and outside the church, is trying to make something good of their lives without giving everything to agree with God to make the earth ready to receive Him. This is going to change in one generation.
Most western believers, because we have been engulfed in comfort our whole lives, think that following Jesus is letting Him direct them to more and more blessing, not realizing Jesus is intensely executing His own rescue plan right now. Even people that love Jesus mostly think that He will just come when He comes, and there isn’t much to be done about it either way. This is woefully inaccurate. There is MUCH to be done right now. Jesus has a VERY specific plan to return. Line upon line, chapter upon chapter, book upon book…the Bible, the history of the earth, and our own personal testimony are ALL pointing to the events that culminate in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. People loyal to Jesus are supposed to know what to watch for, know what to pray for, and know how to be ready:
Mark 13:35-37 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— (36) lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. (37) And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
The truth is, most Christians hear this warning and think Jesus is giving it to unbelievers! Nope. Look at Peter’s words…He knew the warning was for the DISCIPLES…Jesus’ friends who walked and lived with Him for 3.5 years! Jesus confirmed Peter’s thought.
Luke 12:40-43 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (41) Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?" (42) And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? (43) Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
Jesus said “if you are my steward, be wise and heed my warning so that you can feed the other servants (believers) truth when they need it.” In my opinion mostly gained from watching the news, Jesus’ servants WILL desperately need it soon. Right now, there are very few even trying to understand what is happening, let alone feed the other SERVANTS truth. The servants are all supposed to be bringing in more servants and then getting them ready for the intense events Jesus kept warning about!
This is the problem most people have with the warnings in the Bible: believers tend to think the warnings are for those “outside”…the unbeliever…and all the good stuff is for those “inside.” This is not true. Unbelievers don’t read the Bible. Both the warnings AND the promises are for God’s people. For example, look at what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 5:10-13 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11) "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (13) "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
This is a warning AND a promise, both directed at believers! How do we know? Because none of the prophets were killed by unbelieving gentiles! All the prophets were killed by the leaders of God’s people. Unbelievers generally don’t give a rip what the prophets of God’s people are saying…if you don’t believe in the God behind the prophet, then you generally aren’t too concerned , let alone offended, with what the prophet himself is saying. It is those that are invested in the God of the prophet that find the strong words of God through a prophet most offensive.
I need to understand that the warnings God gives are directed to me, his son, co-heir with His firstborn Son. God corrects all those who are His kids by warnings, and then with discipline, if the warning is not heeded:
Hebrews 12:5-8 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children? He said, "My child, don't make light of the LORD's discipline, and don't give up when He corrects you. (6) For the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child." (7) As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? (8) If God doesn't discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His children at all.
Right now, the earth is entering the time when God, in one generation, is going to hem the earth in so that everyone who truly wants to be His child will stand through the intense time in the same way Jesus did: full of the Spirit, walking in miraculous power, and seeking and saving the lost. This was Jesus “suffering.”
Romans 8:17-21 And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. (18) Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. (19) For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are. (20) Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, (21) the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
It is common for us to limit Jesus suffering to the days he spent being tried by Pontius Pilate, crucified, dying, and being buried. BUT, Jesus suffered from the moment He stepped away from LIFE at the right hand of God the Father! Before coming to earth as a baby, Jesus was living in the glory of the Father, full of every divine privilege. From the moment He said “yes” to the Father’s plan, He put His own life of divine privilege on hold and began suffering:
Philippians 2:5-9 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. (6) Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. (7) Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, (8) He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. (9) Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names,
Right now, the western Church has mostly missed this concept. Many Christians are taught to “add Jesus in” as fire insurance, and at the same time seek to build a “good life,” waiting for the “imminent return” of Jesus. This life looks very “Christian.” It requires going to church, taking your kids to Sunday school, volunteering to help here and there. This American Christian life requires enough Christian “suffering” to make us feel good that we are actually doing something…but not too much. Just enough to keep up with the rest of church, while maintaining balance with life the way the rest of the world defines it! No!
This is not at all what Jesus described following Him as. Jesus said that choosing Him was choosing the same thing He chose: putting every aspect of having a “good life” here on hold. This means forgoing life NOW until life is ACTUALLY possible when Jesus shows up face to face:
Matthew 16:24-27 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (25) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (26) For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (27) For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Sharing in Jesus’ suffering means trading whatever you might desire to accomplish in this life to participate “all-in” on the plan Jesus has to return. He has a VERY specific plan. It is this BRILLIANT plan that will actually produce, in one generation, a pure and spotless Bride…a companion of people who have actually voluntarily chosen to share in Jesus’ suffering. Voluntary lovers of the crucified King who, as the world’s greatest witness of the victory of love over fear, bring in the greatest harvest of souls the planet has ever seen!
The details of this plan are intricate and many. There is much to know and be ready for, but most believers have explained it away as “symbolic,” “unknowable,” or accomplished “eventually” by angels or unfortunate unbelievers who don’t get raptured but somehow get saved only to be the most unfortunate followers of Jesus to ever exist. This is all non-Biblical theology. There is only one way people get saved, and it is by other people who already believe preaching to them in power:
Romans 10:10-15 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (11) As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced." (12) Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. (13) For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." (14) But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? (15) And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"
Those with “beautiful feet” are prophesied for the end times…the last days…the great harvest that will eventually end with all of Israel living on planet earth at the time, in the last generation, getting saved:
Isaiah 52:5-9 What is this?" asks the LORD. "Why are My people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long. (6) But I will reveal My name to My people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the One who speaks to them." (7) How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! (8) The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the LORD returning to Jerusalem. (9) Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the LORD has comforted His people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.
This is Jesus’ plan, to rescue His enslaved Jewish people through a group of singing watchmen who demonstrate the power of the Lord as a faithful witness of who Jesus is until Israel recognizes Jesus as messiah and invites Him back to be their Lord! This is what is starting to happen RIGHT NOW.
Israel is actually in the final leg of a process of choosing to get herself enslaved one last time by trusting in a man and his superpower country to protect her. Jesus has for 2,000 years wanted to give Israel, and anyone else who would listen, rest:
Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."
But Israel doesn’t want invisible Jesus who rode into Jerusalem once on a donkey. They don’t want weakness! They want someone with lots of guns and money! Most of the earth, even those who bear Jesus’ name, don’t want weakness either! They love Jesus the teacher, they love Jesus the healer, they love Jesus the one who makes them feel clean inside, but they mostly don’t trust that he actually can provide when there is no visible means, or believe that He is ACTUALLY stronger than any man or army they can see! No, Israel and most of the world mostly trusts the security a man and his government is promising them. Just like Israel chose Saul to be her king, just like she chose Caesar to be her king and rejected Jesus, right now…in the news…Israel is making a covenant with death:
Isaiah 28:11-19 So now God will have to speak to His people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language! (12) God has told His people, "Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest." But they would not listen. (13) So the LORD will spell out His message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured. (14) Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem. (15) You boast, "We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception." (16) Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. (17) I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away. (18) I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground. (19) Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away." This message will bring terror to your people.
This is not what God desires. God wants the trust of everyone He has made. He wants us free from the tyranny that comes from putting your trust in a king to save you. Jesus wants the world putting their lives on hold…holding out for life with Him, just like He has for us! He wants the world to long to be with Him so much that they would refuse to have a “good life” without His physical face to face presence on earth. He desires, and has a plan to make the space for, His children to be revealed in the sharing of His suffering in this way as a witness to those choosing death that they might turn and be saved…and when they do, He has a brilliant plan for them to walk in so much power that they will finally “do the greater things” than Jesus did! This is the end time revival that comes with the end time trouble.
Jesus has all the plans laid out. They are clearly written in the Bible. BUT to choose to participate in this glorious plan, you have to know and understand the plan. You need to watch, pray, and be ready in a very specific way. It is night and day worship and prayer that those who share in Jesus’ suffering will choose. From the place of prayer…the consecrated solemn assembly outlined in Joel 2….Jesus will pour out His Spirit on all flesh in the middle of the tribulation that all who call on the name of the Lord would be saved.
Right now the earth is being hemmed into this choice: find out and agree with Jesus’ plan to fight with singing…like Jehoshaphat did… or trust in the strength of mankind and his governmental promises, even though those same promises are failing all over the earth and producing riots and revolutions! This is the valley of decision Joel spoke of:
Joel 3:9-14 Say to the nations far and wide: "Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors. Let all your fighting men advance for the attack. (10) Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors. (11) Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley." And now, O LORD, call out your warriors! (12) "Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the LORD, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all. (13) Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the winepress is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people." (14) Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the LORD will soon arrive.
Right now God is beginning to shake everything that can be shaken. Right now God is ALSO raising up the end time Tabernacle of David…places of night and day prayer and worship where everyone sharing in Jesus suffering…putting life on hold to give it all to the plan Jehoshaphat was given to conquer His enemies. This is happening all over the globe as one of the greatest signs of the times. This is the only plan there is:
Amos 9:9-15 "For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost. (10) But all the sinners will die by the sword—all those who say, 'Nothing bad will happen to us.' (11) "In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory. (12) And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be Mine. " The LORD has spoken, and He will do these things.
This is the warning to those who say “nothing bad will happen to us.” The King James translates it like this:
Amos 9:10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.
This is the warning God is releasing right now. He is saying “do not say the trouble will not overtake you. “ He is saying that you need to see the trouble in order to respond to it now, while there is time. Now is the time to decide the trouble is real, and so is the plan to overcome it!
Joel 2:11-18 The LORD is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is His mighty army, and they follow His orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive? (12) That is why the LORD says, "Turn to Me now, while there is time. Give Me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. (13) Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead." Return to the LORD your God, for He is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. (14) Who knows? Perhaps He will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before. (15) Blow the ram's horn in Jerusalem! Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. (16) Gather all the people—the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom from his quarters and the bride from her private room. (17) Let the priests, who minister in the LORD's presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar. Let them pray, "Spare Your people, LORD! Don't let Your special possession become an object of mockery. Don't let them become a joke for unbelieving foreigners who say, 'Has the God of Israel left them?'" (18) Then the LORD will pity His people and jealously guard the honor of His land.
Joel 2:28-32 "Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. (29) In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on servants—men and women alike. (30) And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke. (31) The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. (32) But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called.
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