July 1999
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                                  A PREPARED PEOPLE WITH A HOLY PURPOSE

 

                                                                      Part Seven                                                       July 1999

 

A Brief Word About This Present Time

Father's time-clock is now moving from evening to the midnight hour (Mk. 13:32-37). As we approach midnight, spiritual darkness is increasing. The called of this hour may be likened to the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five were wise and five were foolish (see Mt. 25:1-13). The foolish virgins did not take enough oil with them when they went to meet the bridegroom, while the wise took plenty of oil. All of them were awake and alert to the midnight appearing of the bridegroom. But only the wise were fully prepared with the oil of the Spirit! The foolish virgins of this hour will run out of oil! They are reverting to the religious works of the past to keep them to the midnight hour! But their works will fail them! It is up to the wise virgins to remain in their booths and maintain a fresh supply of the oil of the Spirit unto the midnight hour.

 

A Prepared People Reigning with Christ, by the Spirit

The prepared ones of this hour are maturing sons of God who are becoming all that Christ is. As Christ is the Word that created all things in the beginning (Jo. 1:1), so also are the elect of the Lord becoming the prophetic Word of promise given by all the prophets of old. Our Father is causing us to become that prophetic Word. The highest attainable order for anything spiritual is for the Lord's elect to become the reality of that particular thing. We are becoming His living Word, raising that word to a higher realm in God.

 

Christ is the Word that created the earth and every thing in it and of it (Jo. 1:1-2, 14). The anointed Word of God then became the very Life of Christ! That Divine act raised the anointed Word of God to a higher realm in the Spirit, and then fulfilled it literally and outwardly, in the Spirit and by the Spirit. Even so are we becoming all that Christ is!  Our Father is taking His prophetic word, imparting that Word to us, giving us the life, the power, and the anointing of His Spirit. By that, He is transforming the prophetic word of the Lord into the anointed, active, creative, living Word of God. That prophetic Word, which we are becoming, foretold the full redemption of all mankind and the complete restoration of all things, by the Spirit. When it is Father's time to fulfill that Word, He shall speak a word of release, causing that anointed Word, with all its power and authority, to flow out of us to begin the restoration of all things.

 

In Isaiah's prophecy of judgment unto restoration, he referred to the prophetic word of the Lord. He prophesied of that word, saying, "Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of THESE shall fail, none shall want her MATE: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them" (Is. 34:16). The "mate," which His prophetic word shall not "want," is the power of God to bring that word to pass, along with an anointed people to walk it out, in the Spirit and by the Spirit. Since not one of Father's prophetic words "shall want her MATE," it is certain that He shall give life to His word at the appointed time of fulfillment. He shall also join that  anointed Word to His elect, causing us to become that Living Word. When that Word has been properly "mated" to us and to the fresh oil of the anointing of His Spirit, it shall then bring forth fruit, to be completely fulfilled in every person and in the whole creation.

It is an established truth, based on the scriptures and the anointed revelation of the Spirit of truth, that God must have a people through whom He shall fulfill all His purposes in the earth. He first reveals His secret purposes to His prophets (Amos 3:7), and then those anointed prophets tell God's people of that purpose, that they might rise in the Spirit and fulfill that anointed word (Is. 60:1). Therefore, the unfulfilled, prophetic truth of God can only be fulfilled when a prepared people are raised by the Spirit and anointed of God to fulfill that prophetic word. That word came forth from the heart of God, was gathered into the realm of Spirit and anointed with His fresh oil, where it is absolutely certain to be fulfilled in Father's time. When it is time for that Word to be fulfilled, Father will join or marry that Word to a holy, anointed people. Then those people, who are the Lord's chosen elect, shall become the necessary "mate" that shall impregnate that Word with His Life from within them, bringing that prophetic Word to a glorious fulfillment and a magnificent conclusion.

 

We are all familiar with the anointed words of the Apostle Paul, who wrote to say, "But all things are from that God who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given to us the ministry of the reconciliation; namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting to them their offences; and HAS DEPOSITED WITH US THE WORD of the reconciliation. On behalf of Christ, therefore, we are ambassadors; as if God were inviting THROUGH US, we entreat, on behalf of Christ,- be you reconciled to God!" (2 Co. 5:18-20, Diaglott.) Where is that anointed word of reconciliation?  It is within us! Our Father has deposited that word of reconciliation within us. It is through us that the multitudes of the world shall be reconciled to God, by our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Father extends the invitation to others to receive the Life of Christ through us, because His Word of the reconciliation of all things is within us. We are being joined or married to that prophetic Word of promise, thus eliminating every other carnal thought of doubt and unbelief within us that would prevent us from fulfilling that prophetic Word of the reconciliation of all mankind.

 

That wonderful Word of reconciliation is testing and trying us; it may even be imprisoning us, as it did Joseph (Ps. 105:17-19). And all those tests and trials are preparing us to bring His Word to a glorious and complete fulfillment everywhere and in every life. We are now in full agreement with our Father's holy will and His wonderful plan of the reconciliation of all; it has become the passion, the purpose, and the all-consuming desire of our lives. We are becoming that Word of reconciliation by which the world shall be reconciled to God. When the time comes for that anointed word to be fulfilled, our Father shall release that Word from within us, drawing multitudes to Him by the mighty power of His Spirit.  As if to further affirm the truth that we are becoming all that Christ is, the apostle added these anointed words of truth: "For Him who knew no sin, he made a sin-offering on our behalf, that we might BECOME God's righteousness in him" (2 Co. 5:21, Diaglott). It is by the power of the indwelling Christ that we are becoming the righteousness of God. It is not a matter of obeying the law, whether the old Mosaic law or the newer laws of Christendom; it is simply a matter of living the life of Christ by the power of the indwelling Spirit. As we live His life by the Spirit, we will find that He disciplines and corrects us whenever we stray from the path of His righteousness. Our Father's disciplining process will bring us to repentance and will also turn us back again to the path of His righteousness. When the processing and preparatory work of the Spirit of God unto correction and restoration is concluded in our lives, we shall then be all that Christ is.

Christ is the Word; He also is the Way, the Life, the Light, the Truth, the Righteousness and the Love of God. So also are we becoming all these, to the glory, honor, and praise of our Father! When we say, Christ is the Word, we are also saying, the Spirit is the Word, or the Word is Spirit. Jesus Christ means Jesus, the anointed one; He is Jesus who is anointed by the Spirit of God. Therefore, Christ is the Spirit! And Christ the Spirit, also is the Way, the Life, the Light, the Truth, the Love, and the Righteousness of God. This is the same as saying the Spirit is the Way. The Spirit also is the Life, the Light, the Truth, the Love, and the Righteousness of God. Since Christ, the Spirit, is within us, then the Word, the Way, the Life, the Light, the Truth, the Love, and the Righteousness of God, also is being established within us. By our spiritual growth in God, we are becoming all that Christ is! We are becoming all that the Spirit within us is!  When we see these truths with this understanding, by the Spirit, the greater mystery of Christ is unveiled and revealed, giving us better comprehension of that which the Spirit of God is, which Spirit (Christ) is within us.

 

The prophet Zechariah prophesied of this mystery, when he told of that which he saw in the Spirit. He said, "I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof." Then the prophet asked the angel that talked with him what these were. The angel, or the messenger of the Lord, answered, "This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 4:2-3, 6).  That which the prophet saw as a complex candlestick with a bowl on the top of it, having seven lamps with seven pipes to the lamps, with an olive tree on either side of it, was first declared by the angel to be the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. The important message of that Word for all the elect of today is that our Father does nothing by natural, literal means. Everything He does, is done "not by (earthly) might, nor by (worldly) power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." We must know that every part of the unfulfilled, inspired, and prophetic Word of the Lord shall truly be fulfilled. Not only shall that Word be fulfilled, but  it must be fulfilled, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."

 

How strange it was that a candlestick with a bowl on the top of it, which had seven lamps on it, with seven pipes to the seven lamps, and with two olive trees, one on each side of it, should be interpreted by the Spirit as the word of the Lord. But that is what that complex vision of Zechariah's was; it was a picture of the pure, prophetic Word of the Lord awaiting its fulfillment in the earth. At the time of that prophecy, a remnant of Israel was returning from captivity in Babylon to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. The leader of the returning remnant was a man by the name of Zerubbabel. The name "Zerubbabel," means one born in Babel, or Babylon, but one who is flowing away from Babylon. Zerubbabel, therefore, was a man of that era who was leaving Babylon to restore the city of Jerusalem, along with a few others who made up the remnant of that era.  Zerubbabel, and those returning from Babylon with him, are typical of the remnant of the Lord in every age. This is especially true of the elect of this hour, who are called of their Father to conclude the church age and bring forth the principles of the new age of the kingdom of God on earth, not by their words but by their deeds. As it was with Zerubbabel, so it is with the remnant of the Lord in this new Day: we are seen spiritually flowing away from Babylon! Any attempt to control, regulate, or organize the remnant of the Lord today, either by what they believe and think, or what they do, which is the spirit and purpose of Babylon, will end in utter failure. Every one of the elect are seen in the Spirit, flowing away from Babylon and all it signifies! They are not only flowing away from Babylon and all it denotes, but there is no carnality of partyism and division among them, such as that mentioned by Paul in 1 Co. 3:1-9.  Each of them is being led by the mind of the Spirit, and not by the mind of man. They have one Head only, and that Head is Christ!

 

As the Lord's chosen remnant at this time, we are called to restore and rebuild. We are not to restore and rebuild a natural, literal city, with an earthly temple and throne, as Zerubbabel and his friends did then; but we are called to restore and rebuild that which is of His glorious, spiritual kingdom. We are not to restore and rebuild after the dead, church order of the past, but according to the new principles of His kingdom. Our Father is restoring His will and ways to the returning, repentant, remnant of this hour, who have caught the vision of His purposes and of His glorious kingdom that has come down from the realm of Spirit, to the earth. These anointed ones shall restore the hearts of the people, calling them to the obedience of our Father's will,  as it is now in the new and greater order of the kingdom of God.

 

Our Father is also calling on us to restore the pure Truth of God to His people, for His truth has "fallen in the street" (Is. 59:14 & vs. 4 & 15). Many religious people mention His Name, "but not in truth, nor in righteousness" (Is. 48:1). Now, the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, "who hold the truth in unrighteousness" (Ro. 1:18). In other words, they distort the truth of God with their unrighteous deeds. They speak the truth with their mouths, but they fail to walk in its light to fulfill the eternal purposes of their Father. They are not content to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth only, but they try to make something happen outwardly by reverting to the old religious works of the past, dying, religious order of man.

 

The Lord "desirest truth in the inward parts." (Ps. 51:6). He is looking for a holy remnant - for those who are crying deep within them, saying, "Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will WALK in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name" (Ps. 86:11). To those repentant ones, the Lord says, "I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of (the new) Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain (or kingdom) of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain" (Zech. 8:3). God is moving among His repentant remnant, to those who are forsaking Babylon and its unrighteousness, and are returning to the Lord. He is saying of them, "they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness" (Zech. 8:8).

 

To become all that Christ is involves a process of the judgment unto correction of the remnant, which we are. Our Father has disciplined and corrected us, not just once, but numerous times throughout our lifetimes.  When we were freed from sin, we became servants to God (Ro. 6:22). When we began our walk with the Lord, we were given power to become sons of God (Jo. 1:12). We have also become dead to the law, that we might be married to the living, resurrected Christ (Ro. 7:4).  We also became fools in this world, that we might be made wise in Christ (1 Co. 3:18). The angel continued to explain the plan of God for the restoration of Jerusalem to Zechariah. This plan was revealed in the word of the Lord. That word was seen by the prophet in a vision as having the form of types and symbols (Zech. 4:1-2, 7-10). Then, the prophet asked the angel, "What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth" (Zech. 4:12, 14). The first time the prophet asked the angel what these candlesticks, bowls, lamps, pipes, and olive trees were (see page four), he was told by the angel, "This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel." But when the prophet asked the angel the second time what those same symbols were, the angel said, "These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth."

 

This shows us that the prophetic Word of the Lord, which previously was in the form of types, symbols, and the unfulfilled letter of the word, had now become "the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." The Word of the Lord had become Spirit, and was then joined or mated to the Godhead, causing that once lifeless word to be fulfilled in the earth. Having first become Spirit, that anointed, creative, living Word of God was then given the active Life of God, causing that Word to be completely fulfilled in all the earth. Our Father is doing something similar with His chosen saints of today! He is taking the prophetic word of the Lord, lifting it out of types, symbols, and the form of the dead letter, and is giving that prophetic Word the anointing and the Life of His Spirit. He is then mating that Word with His chosen elect, in preparation for the glorious manifestation of the sons of God. And that manifestation shall set the whole, groaning creation free!

 

The Amplified Bible tells us that those "two anointed ones" at that time were "Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the prince of Judah."  That may have been true then. But those "two anointed ones" obviously represented two others who are far more glorious and much more powerful at the time when Christ came to earth in a body of flesh to do His Father's will. Jesus said, "Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me (are here together with me as one). It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true (Deut. 19:15). I am one (witness) that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me (is the second witness that) beareth witness of me" (Jo. 8:14-18). Of course, the words within the parenthesis are mine; they were added to give us better understanding of Jesus' message. Jesus said here that He is the first witness and His Father is the second witness. Therefore, the "two anointed ones," or the "two witnesses" at this point, are Christ and the Father.

 

It is said that those "two anointed ones stand by the Lord of the whole earth." The carnal mind will never figure this out, nor can that mind of man ever know and fully understand any other spiritual mystery, including the mystery of the Godhead. God Himself is a great mystery to the carnal minded! Only by the Spirit can we ever know Him as He is! Jesus said He and the Father are one. But how could such a thing be? How can a man walking along the shores of Galilee on this earth be one with His Father, Who is in heaven, or in the realm of Spirit? It is only when we recognize the great mystery of God and of the Godhead that we can ever know the truth as it is in Christ. As Jesus Christ was one with His Father in the Spirit while He walked this earth, so also are we one with our Father as we walk through our appointed days on this earth. God is Spirit, and He is everywhere! There is no place where we might go to escape His wonderful and awesome presence. And yet, when we are asked to believe the great mystery of God and of His Christ, we are told that Christ and the Father are the two witnesses. Then, we are told that those two witnesses are standing before the God of the whole earth. 

 

This statement implies that the Father and the Son are both standing before God, Who is revealed and manifest as the God of the whole earth. This is indeed a great mystery! Yet all such mysteries are fully revealed and understood by the wisdom of the mind of Christ. God is one God, and the Father and the Son are also one in Him. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one! Yet they are each seen to be separate manifestations of the one God. God is the God of the whole earth in the sense that He is working out the Divine plans and purposes for this earth. And the Father and the Son are expressions of the one God who are also working with Him to fulfill His plans and purposes for the earth and ultimately for the whole universe. All the fullness of God is thus seen working together to fulfill the same purpose.

 

In the same way, Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father in the heavenlies of Spirit. Yet, Christ, Who is Spirit, has come and will continue to come to this realm of earth, by the Spirit, to appear to His elect here on earth, while He sits on His throne in the heavenlies of Spirit (see Mt. 26:64). He has done this frequently in the past and we know Christ will come again and again in Spirit to those who love His appearing (Mk. 13:35, 2 Tim. 4:8). This is the power and glory of the mystery of Christ, of the Godhead, and of the realm of Spirit! Jesus Christ came to this earth by the will of His Father; He was sent to earth to bear witness of Himself, of His Father, and of His kingdom. The average person who saw Him considered Jesus to be just another carpenter's son. They knew nothing of His heavenly parentage, or of His heavenly home. When Jesus came to this earth, He came bringing with Him and in Him all the authority of His Father. He also came as the anointed, living Word of God. He personified the Word of God! Jesus did not come alone, for He came with the Spirit of His Father, and in His Father's Name. Every step He took and every word He spoke came first from the mind of His Father. Jesus Christ came to the earth bearing in His person the will of His Father, the anointed Word of His Father, and the nature and the character of His Father.

 

Christ became the Word by which the worlds were made, and then He was appointed the heir of all things everywhere. He also is the Word that upholds all things (He. 1:2-3). As He walked this earth, doing the perfect will of His Father, Jesus the Christ knew who His Father was. He knew He came from God, and that He would return to God when His divine mission on this earth was fulfilled. He knew He had to return to the Father that we might receive the same Spirit He had (Jo. 16:7). He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature (Col. 1:15). Jesus Christ was the first witness of Himself, of His Father, and of His kingdom, and the Father is the second witness, thus fulfilling the requirement of the "two witnesses." All this and more was wrapped up and packaged in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, in His personal, earthly manifestation! And we are becoming all that He is, that there might be another, greater, earthly manifestation of the fullness of Christ, or of the sons of God. That manifestation will release the creation from the curse of sin and death, bring restoration to all things everywhere, and bless the creation with the fullness of the life and glory of the kingdom of God!

 

Jesus told us that both He and the Father were the two witnesses, which were necessary to fulfill the Divine requirement to confirm His coming as God's Son, and also His message of the kingdom of God (Jo. 8:14-18). And we are becoming all that Christ is! Christ and the Father were the two witnesses at His literal coming as Jesus. So also are we becoming the necessary two witnesses to establish and confirm the truth that we are doing our Father's will in the earth. Then the inner sanctuary of the temple of the Lord in heaven was measured, which I believe was the Holiest of all. Then "two witnesses" were given power to prophesy for a designated period, "clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth" (see Rev. 11:1-4).  The only part of the temple of the Lord with which our Father is concerned now is "the tabernacle of David" (Acts 15:16). Only this portion of His glorious temple has been restored up to this point. This also is the portion of the Lord's temple that was measured before the "two witnesses" were given power to prophesy. The word, "measure," as used in Rev. 11:1 and according to Strong's Concordance, means to "ascertain in size by a fixed standard." Therefore, "the tabernacle of David" has a fixed size and standard by which all who attain to that realm are judged or measured. Those who attain to that spiritual realm have been measured according to the standard already established in Christ. The size or numbers of those in that realm have also been fixed in God, according to His eternal purposes, just as it was with Gideon's final, small band (see Judges 7:1-7).

 

The "two witnesses" at the time of Jesus' earthly ministry were Christ and the Father, according to His own words, which we quoted on page eight (Jo. 8:17-18). But when Jesus was crucified and raised to be seated at the right hand of His Father, He blessed the world with His precious, holy Spirit by filling His disciples with the same Spirit that He had while He ministered here on earth (see Jo. 14:16-18, 26, 15: 26-27, 16:7, 13-16, Acts 1:1-8, 2:1-4). Ever since that glorious day, the Lord's people have been blessed with the infilling of the holy Spirit, which is the same Spirit Jesus had during His miraculous ministry while He was here on earth. By the power of His indwelling Spirit, we are becoming all that Christ and the Father are. We are becoming the "two witnesses!" The book of Revelations is the book of the unveiling or the revealing of Jesus Christ, including both Christ the Head, and Christ, the body. The eleventh chapter tells us that those "two witnesses" are saints who are or were on earth. The first witness is Christ, the head, or Jesus the first Son of God, and the second witness is Christ, the body, or the company of the sons of God.

 

Those "two witnesses," who were given power to prophesy after the inner sanctuary of the Lord's house was measured, were said to be  "clothed in sackcloth." When a person wore sackcloth it was a sign of mourning. Sackcloth was worn by the people of the Old Testament whenever someone was filled with grief and sorrow, whether at the death of a loved-one or in repentance to seek the Lord. The word sackcloth is used in Rev. 11:1, not to tell us that we should wear that kind of apparel, but that we should be in a mournful, repentant attitude while the things written in that chapter are being fulfilled. If we are among those "two witnesses," we are indeed in a mournful, repentant attitude, for we are anticipating the continued and imminent appearing of Christ in us. Furthermore, those who are in that mournful, repentant state do not need repentance explained to them. They fully understand what repentance is, for they are experiencing the full force of it as a result of the tests and trials in their lives.

 

Of the "two witnesses" who are "clothed in sackcloth," it is written, "these are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth" (Rev. 11:4). Do you see what has happened here? The Word of the Lord in Zechariah's prophecy, that once was in the form of types, symbols, and the unfulfilled letter of the word, had become "the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." Those two anointed ones previously were Christ and the Father. And now, at the time of this prophecy (in Rev. 11:), those "two anointed ones" have become "the two witnesses" of that prophecy. That which was once seen as symbols, types, and the letter of the word in an Old Testament prophecy, had now become Christ and His sons, which is the fullness of the body of Christ. We are seen standing before the Lord of the whole earth, for that is our spiritual location or our home in the Spirit. Just as the kingdom of God is a realm or kingdom of unending and continual increase (Is. 9:7), so Zechariah's prophetic word from the Lord has increased in the Spirit, from types, forms, and the unfulfilled letter of the word, to BECOME the fullness of the body of Christ, which is Christ, the Head (the first witness), and Christ, the body (the second witness).

 

The Spirit of the Father accompanied Jesus during His ministry on earth. So also does the Spirit of the Father accompany and sanction all that His sons do, when they are led by the Spirit. Those who are led by the Spirit of their Father can expect the blessings of their Father and the anointing of His Spirit, when they have overcome all things of this life. These "two witnesses" are fully protected and anointed of their Father. It is written of them, "And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will" (Rev. 11:5-6).

 

We believe the two witnesses are Christ, the Head, and Christ, the body, which includes all the sons of God. Some of what is written here applies to Jesus, while some of this prophecy was fulfilled during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The historian Josephus told about that war as having a duration of three and a half years, during which time an armed mob of Zealots and Edomites terrorized the city of Jerusalem. However, the Lord also is showing us that much of this is also taking place at this time, among us and in the world around us, because of His Spirit within us. He is showing us that we are "a silent influence" in the world, whether positive or negative, because of the indwelling Spirit. The Lord has taken us through several personal experiences to show us that we are a silent, spiritual influence in the lives of people and in the world around us. Without speaking a word or dealing directly with people, we are silently influencing their lives by His anointed and abiding presence within us.

 

For example, it is possible that the strange storms and weather patterns in this country are a direct result of our spiritual growth and our spiritual life. Much of what is taking place in the world now is a result of our greater spiritual maturity. In some cases, we are indirectly shutting up the heavens that it rain not in the days of our prophecy, resulting in droughts in some areas of our land, by the Spirit of God within us. In other cases, we may be spiritually influencing the weather by causing the rain to descend in torrents, resulting in floods in other areas. The term, "in the days of their prophecy," refers to the time of our service, when we are that "silent influence."  Since God has called us to leave Pentecost and that realm of the gifts, our only "prophecy" in His kingdom is by being that "silent influence" in the earth. As a result of our spiritual growth and life, and the "silent influence" that we are, we also may be smiting the earth with various plagues, to bring to pass the purposes of God. No longer do we function by the dead principles of the outmoded pentecostal order, which was a limited demonstration of God's power outwardly. Now we are functioning IN THE SPIRIT, according to the higher order of Tabernacles and the greater glory of the kingdom of God. The Lord works through us by His Spirit, for all His works are now done, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." We may not know it, understand it, or be fully aware of it, but we are that "silent influence" in this world, by the power of the Spirit of God within us. When the Lord is finished with His work of judgment unto correction in this nation, multitudes will be "clothed in sackcloth"; they will be in a repentant and mournful state of mind and attitude, fully prepared for whatever the Lord has next for this country and our people.

 

In verse six of Revelation, chapter eleven, the power of the two witnesses is identified with the power and ability that God gave to Moses (Ex. 7:19-20), and also to Elijah (1 Ki. 17:1). Some believe Moses and Elijah will be resurrected to be the two literal witnesses on earth at this time. But we believe these two are alluded to because they represent two types of believers who shall be transformed. Elijah was transformed in his body and taken to heaven in a spiritual chariot and a whirlwind, without dying (2 Ki. 2:11). So also shall some of the Lord's elect be transformed in the fullness of time without passing through death, which is one of our enemies.  Moses, on the other hand, died in the mount overlooking the land of promise. After Moses died, the scriptures tell us he was buried, but that no one knew of his sepulchre (Deut. 34:5-6). And Jude referred to Moses, telling us that Michael the archangel contended with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 9). Therefore, it is obvious that Moses was transformed after death, becoming the firstfruits, in a sense, of those who shall be changed after dying (see Mt. 17:1-3). Both these men lived Godly lives! But Moses trespassed against the Lord in the sight of all Israel, and was told by the Lord to go up to mount Nebo and die there (Deut. 32:48-52).

 

Before Moses died in that mount, he could see the new land, but was forbidden to enter it. Because of his one transgression, God told Moses to go by way of death. Thus, Moses becomes a type of those who shall be transformed after going through death, while Elijah is a type of those who shall be transformed without going through death.  So it shall be for some of the Lord's people in this day! Those who shall be transformed to enter the greater fullness of the kingdom of God are both hearing and doing the perfect will of their Father. They are walking in obedience to the will of their Father, as Elijah did. Moses committed one transgression in his life, and was told by God that he must go by way of death. He thus became an example to all others of the faithfulness of God and of His determined purpose to give some believers the fullness of the life of Christ, even though they died.

 

The prophecy about the two witnesses continues, "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth" (Rev. 11:7-10).

The book of Revelation is a spiritual book. It tells of that which shall take place to bring the Christ to fullness and manifest the power and glory of the kingdom of God in all the earth. When we read the above verses, it sounds a little like the crucifixion of Jesus. It is more than that, for this prophecy tells of "the sufferings of Christ," which all the sons of God shall go through to be fully joined to Christ, their Head (see 2 Co. 1:5, 1 Pe. 1:11, & 5:1).  Although the above verses may describe literal deaths, we believe it is entirely spiritual. There are not two prophets in the world today who shall be killed and their dead bodies put on display in the literal city of Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified, while the people refuse to allow their bodies to be buried, that all may see them and rejoice over their calamity by sending gifts one to another. This is but another of the carnal-minded interpretations offered by preachers. This will never happen literally, nor do I believe this prophecy was purposed of our Father to take place that way.

 

Father is fulfilling this prophecy spiritually in His chosen elect. They are dying the death of Christ! The same "beast" that instigated the death of Jesus (Lu. 22:53), is the same evil spirit that is instigating the soulish death of the anointed Christ body, by using carnal-minded people. But this is Father's plan for us! Our feminine souls are being crucified to be renewed and resurrected, then to be married to our masculine spirits, in preparation for our transformation. Father has stripped us of the old order ministry mentality, and has given us a new mind, even the mind of Christ for this new Day. And there is no one who seems so dead as those saints who have ceased working after the old, church order of the past. Because this "death" is not a literal death, there will be no burials and certainly no earthly graves.

 

The earth-bound, especially those in the religious bondage of Babylon, are inwardly rejoicing with one another and making merry. They have heard of our "death," and have seen the effects of it. They are pleased to see us in this state, for we are a torment to them and their beloved world systems. This Christ body, in union with Christ the Head, has been tormenting most normal earth-dwellers, for we will have no part in their lust of the flesh, their pride of life, and their lust for the things of this dying world order (see 1 Jo. 2:15-17). Not only do we lack any desire for the things of this world, but we are spiritually set, destined, and appointed of our Father to bring an end to all that is in and of this world. We are indeed a torment to those who dwell on the earth, because of the Christ within!

 

When most Christians and those of the world look at us, the only thing they see about us is our "dead" condition. Our spirit, including our spiritual calling, gifts and abilities, are hidden in Christ as we remain in our spiritual booths. The only thing visible about us is our outward lack of religious zeal and the empty, Babylonish religious works of man. We are doing nothing, in the religious sense, therefore, in the eyes of the religious, we are nothing! When they look at us, the religious zealots see us as Jesus was while here on earth. Jesus grew up as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground to become the servant of all. He had no form nor comeliness, and He had no beauty that anyone should desire Him. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. They hid as it were their faces from Him. He was not only despised, but the people esteemed Him not. They marvelled at His wisdom, but rejected His truth!

 

The religious people of that day esteemed Him as stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. They knew not that He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. His own received Him not, and He was numbered with the transgressors! He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death. Yet, He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. As it was then, so it is now: all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. But our Father laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

 

He was taken from prison and from judgment, and then the prophet asks, "and who shall declare his generation?" (Is. 53:8) Or, who shall declare that which the generation of the Christ, or the sons of God, shall go through? Those who are going through the same sufferings of Christ are the ones who shall tell others what this Christ-generation shall experience. God has a faithful remnant today who are telling the Christ-generation, which is His posterity, or His offspring, of the necessary sufferings of Christ, by their daily lives. Father has delivered them of the old, dead, church works of the past age, and is replacing their carnal mind with His mind. When others see the face of Jesus mirrored in our lives, including the sorrow, grief and rejection of men that He experienced, they will hide their faces from us.

 

When we have faithfully walked out our appointed time in this state of "death," we shall become heirs of the promises of God. All those elect ones, who find the ultimate purpose of their lives in the plan and purpose of the first Son, shall receive these promises: "he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death" (Is. 53:10-12).

 

We trust the following quote from an unknown author will bless you as it has blessed us: "Keep about your work. Let your aim be as steady as a star. Let the world brawl and bubble. You may be assaulted, wronged, insulted, slandered, wounded and rejected; you may be abused by foes, forsaken by friends and despised and rejected of men, but see to it with steadfast determination, with unfaltering zeal, that you pursue the great purpose of your life and object of your being, until at last you can say `I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.'"  All who are called of their Father to be perfect as He is perfect, and to become manifest sons of God, shall indeed finish the work Father gave them to do. This spirit-ual work shall not be done by the carnal, religious works of the past,  but by the greater power, and glory of His Spirit, according to the new principles of the Feast of Tabernacles and the kingdom of God.

 

Thank God this "dead" state or condition among the elect has an end! They shall continue in that condition for three and a half days, according to prophetic time. This is half the normal time, or half the fullness of time, which is seven. Since this is a spiritual book, this is not a literal period of three and a half days. But it is a prophetic time, known only to our Father (Acts 1:7). At the end of this time, it is written, "And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them" (Rev. 11:11). What a grand and glorious conclusion to the sufferings of Christ! Those gloriously transformed elect have faithfully walked in obedience to the perfect will and way of their Father, and according to the greater glory and the new order of the kingdom of God. Their lives emulate the example and pattern given in the life of Jesus. They shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, to awaken the dawn of the new morning of this great Day, and become the manifest sons of God in the earth.

 

That which John saw in the Spirit on the Lord's day while he was on the isle of Patmos sounds very much like Ezekiel's prophecy. The dry bones, which represent the whole house of Israel, came together and then sinew and skin was added to cover the body. Then the Life of God entered that body and they all rose up and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army (Eze. 37:5-14). In John's vision given in Rev. 11, when that anointed and resurrected body stood on their feet, a voice was heard from heaven, saying, "Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them" (Rev. 11:12). The elect were invited to a higher spiritual realm after being transformed. This shows a higher place or status in God and in His kingdom for them, and also an increase in the spiritual authority, anointing and power of the Spirit, which also is their protection.

 

Then, after some spiritual shakings and earthquakes, voices in heaven, or in the realm of Spirit, were again heard. This time, those heavenly voices said, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15). Those transformed saints were given greater power and authority to reign with Christ. The result was, all the kingdoms and the governments of man were subdued and put under the feet of Christ. Then it could be said with full authority: "The kingdoms of this world ARE become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ."

 

The world has never yet seen anything like that which shall take place when God's sons are fully manifest. Except for a few outpourings of the Spirit during brief times of refreshing, all that the world has known of God was expressed from impure, divisive churches and from the carnal systems and the religious denominations of man. The whole world of mankind knows very little of God and of His righteous kingdom. But they are longing to know Him, and the power of His resurrection. And indeed they shall, when we are changed into the full glory, life, and power of our risen Lord and King of all. Our minds or our souls are now being renewed, through repentance, by the Spirit of God. The transformation of the saints is the next event following the renewal of our minds. No longer do we think with old Adam's carnal mind, but we are beginning to perceive and to fully understand by the wisdom of the mind of Christ. When His mind has completely overtaken and overwhelmed our own carnal mind, we shall then be transformed (Ro. 12:2), to become all that Christ is. Then the world shall see the fullness of Christ, which includes Christ, the Head, and Christ, the body, in all the life and glory of the kingdom of God!

                                                             Paul and Emily Mueller

                                        P O BOX 25055, PORTLAND, OR 97298-0055

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