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http://www.thetreeofliberty.com/vb/showthread.php?t=140705%A0
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The Firstfruits:
The Bible uses the word ‘firstfruits’ to describe this stage of the First Resurrection which leads to eternal life in Heaven. In Israel the Feast of Firstfruits happened in the spring of the year to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest. As the Jews brought these tokens of the bounty of the coming harvest to the Temple they were acknowledging that God was the provider of the harvest. This word ‘firstfruits’ became a proper symbol of resurrected saints, a token of the great harvest when Jesus, the Lord of the Harvest, will come to gather the saints to meet Him in the air. The writer of the book of Hebrews, after recounting the many acts of faith of Old Testament saints, told his readers about their life in Heaven. He declares “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrew 12:1). They still live! They have been transformed and are now in Paradise, watching our walk of faith. Many of those Old Testament saints participated in this first stage of the First Resurrection, when Jesus rose from the grave. Matthew 27:52-53 describes the amazing and exciting events that happened after Jesus rose from the dead, during the Feast of the Firstfruits” And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His Resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” The various writers who observed this miraculous resurrection recounted it in their histories of the day. Jesus Christ had risen from the dead and won victory over death, not only for Himself as the Son of God, but also for those saints who had died centuries before and for all who would believe in Him as their Lord and Savior for centuries to follow. Writings by Christians of that time have been collected in the Ante-Nicene Library. They describe that more than twelve thousand of these Old Testament saints walked through Galilee for 40 days, appeared in Jerusalem before many, and later ascended into Heaven when Jesus Christ ascended to His Father. This undeniable fact of Christ’s Resurrection and the resurrection of the Old Testament saints who identified themselves to many Jews created a ground swell of belief in the claims of Christ that He was the Messiah and the true Son of God. The Lord proved forever that His power of resurrection and eternal life was available to all who would receive His offer of salvation. God will not force you to accept eternal life, nor will He force you to live in Heaven if you choose not to claim this “indescribable gift” (2Corinthians 9:15) as Lord and Savior. These saints who rose from the dead when Christ rose were the “firstfruits” of the first resurrection to eternal life in Heaven. It is no coincidence that this 17th day of Nisan in A.D. 32, was the Feast of Firstfruits. Other notable events connected with resurrection also happened on this anniversary. On this day the ark of Noah rested on Mount Ararat and the human race was resurrected following the flood. Almost a thousand years later, on this anniversary, Moses led the people of Israel through the Red Sea to be resurrected as a nation from the bondage of Egypt. 40 years later, Israel crossed the Jordan on the 17th day of Nisan and enjoyed the firstfruits of the Promised Land. In the Sovereignty of God, He caused Jesus Christ to rise from the dead and to bring these saints with Him into new life on this same day, the Feast of Firstfruits. These resurrected saints had bodies that were real. Several documents from this era claim that among those raised by Jesus were the Temple priest, Simeon, who had once waited in the Temple to see the baby Jesus and his two sons who lived in Arimathaea. The records state their resurrection was specifically investigated because they were well known to the Sanhedrin because of their Temple service as priests. After so many centuries, it is impossible to ascertain the documentary accuracy of these ancient texts, but it is interesting to note that they confirm the details of the event which Matthew recorded in his Gospel. These records in the Ante-Nicene Library claim that during the investigation each of the sons of Simeon was separately and simultaneously interrogated. They both told the same story, namely that Jesus had appeared to them in Hades, preached to all and those who had responded to God were miraculously given new bodies and resurrected when Jesus rose from the grave. Matthew’s record of this event is tantalising in both what it reveals and what it conceals. He states that these Old Testament saints “went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Remember that all the events involved with the death and resurrection happened in Jerusalem during the busiest season of the year, the Feast of Passover. Every Israelite male who was capable made an effort to come to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Deuteronomy 16:2 records this as a command of God. Each home in the holy city had upper rooms which were suplied without cost to fellow Israelites who came on these pilgrimages. Therefore, during the Feast of Passover, the population of Jerusalem had swollen to 5 times the normal number. Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian, says in his book, ‘Jewish Wars’ that, according to Roman records, the number of sheep sacrificed during the Passover was 256,5000. Since one sheep would serve as a sacrifice for 5 people, the conclusion is that during the time of Jesus, up to 1,250,000 people would come to the city during Passover instead of the usual 250,000 city dwellers. Both the New Testament and letters of first century Christians record that these resurrected saints identified themselves to the people as historical, biblical characters. With 1,000,000 visitors already in the city, obviously these resurrected saints must have appeared different in some way from other me, or they would simply have been lost in the crowd. Possibly their faces were transfigured with God’s reflected glory as the faces of Moses and Elijah were on the Mount of transfiguration. Those saints who rose with Jesus did not die again, according to the writings of the first century. They were raptured to Heaven when Jesus was raptured. These saints are enjoying a “better, that is, a heavenly country…for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:16). These raptured believers are the firstfruits of the First Resurrection, which is “the resurrection of life” (John 5:29). Paul described this resurrection to the church at Thessalonica: :If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” and if we are still alive on earth, “we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we thus shall we always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:14,17) in eternal life in the New Jersusalem forever. Those who miss the first resurrection will rise again, but they will partake of the dreaded second resurrection, which is a spiritual, eternal death in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15). The firstfruits of the first resurrection-Jesus first then those Old Testament saints who walked the streets of Jerusalem-is but a sample of what will happen in the next stage of the first resurrection, the Rapture of the Church. Jesus and these resurrected saints had resurrected bodies. He proved to His disciples that He was flesh, “Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39), and He ate, “They gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence” (Luke 24:42-43) He even fixed breakfast for His disciples (John21:9,12-13). Yet He could walk through a closed door (Luke20:26) and defy gravity when He was “carried up into Heaven” (Luke 24:51). And that is where He is now, waiting for us; for He promised that “in My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2) This was taken from Grant R. Jeffery’s book titled, “Heaven, the last frontier” pages 22-25.
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A Vision (Oct-6-2001) :
Some visions are to be shared and others may not be, and this has been the subject of my prayers for the past couple hours. For the vision I received only 2 hours ago was one of which I have asked God why should I share it? What would be the purpose in sharing it? Nonetheless, I know now that I must stand in front of you with the vision I received from God on this day. My son Joel was given leave from the IDF and able to come home for the Sabbath. As the Sabbath ended, and we had our Kiddush and meal, he decided to visit some friends. He had just left and I was sitting on the balcony on our swing, and suddenly felt drowsy, so much so in fact I was wondering what was wrong with me. It was then that I found myself overlooking at what I believed to be New York City.
The Vision:
There were fires and explosions all over the city, people were running in total panic. There were wrecked cars and cabs on nearly every street, and there were soldiers everywhere I looked. I felt a Holy Presence, but could not see anyone. I asked if this was the WTC (9-11 attacks) we had just seen on TV, and He said: “No, this is yet to come“. I then asked: “Will it only be New York City?” He said: “No, many others will suffer in even worse ways. Other cities, there will be death and destruction across the United States. The economy will be totally destroyed, and when their god of money is gone from them, they will turn to Me. But I will receive them not.” I then ask: “What about those who love You, and are truly Your Children?” It was then that I could see in the crowds, those who could be identified by the Glory of God around them, and the peace they had was supernatural, and it could be seen in their walk and manners. “What about Israel?“, I asked. “There will be much death and destruction in Israel, for My people have sinned a great sin against Me. But I will save them as I have promised. But for those who have come against My City and My people, I will show no mercy.” I asked: “When will this happen?” “Be ready to receive Me, for I will bring all these things to pass.“
– End of Vision –
You may ask why would I send this out. The answer is: I feel I have no choice, only God can answer the question as to what good it will do you or others. It certainly will make me look a little strange to many. But so be it, I will follow God anyhow.
Shalom, Jerry Golden.
The person, who posted this vision in that forum, also wrote: I’m glad God had him tell us of his vision. I sense in my spirit that God is revealing this, because He is getting ready to do this soon. This could be the catalyst for the END TIME REVIVAL.
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The Concealed will be Revealed:
I realized I was treading on Holy Ground. I was hearing things that were meant to bring answers I had long sought. In the book of Daniel, God told His prophet to “go your way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.” (Daniel 12:9). Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12: 3, Paul describes his experience of “being caught up into paradise, and hearing utterances, beyond the power of man to put into words, which man is not permitted to utter, and yet, as I contemplated what was unfolding, the Lord reminded me that, indeed, for “there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” (Matthew 10:26, NAS) What an extraordinary trust that was conveyed to men like Daniel and Paul, and yet some of the things that they were shown, were not permitted at that time to be spoken of. They were meant for a yet future day. God is today seeking modern day Daniels and Pauls who are counted worthy of receiving the same trust given in ages past. Even as the inheritance of one generation falls to another, each successive generation must in their own day, carry that trust with responsibility and insight equal to the previous, lest that inheritance be lost. The church in our day, yes, in this very moment, has within it the people who have been prepared to carry forward the revelation of things not yet revealed. Rev. 22:6 declares: “And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His messenger to make known and exhibit to His servants what must soon come to pass”. That prophetic baton is being passed now.
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On Earth as it is in Heaven:
God was putting together a very big picture for me. It had to do with what we, the church, have “already known” of resurrection and eternal life, and yet have not known as we fully need to. Phil 3: 10-12 “… to know Him, and the power of the resurrection of Him, and the fellowship of the sufferings of Him, being conformed to the death of Him; if somehow I may attain to the resurrection out of the dead. The first word “resurrection” is the Greek word “anastasis”, meaning: “a resurrection from death”. It means a literal rising from a state or condition of death. The second word “resurrection” is the Greek word “ex-anastasis”, meaning: “a rising from death”. Being distinctly different, it directly implies a rising out from even the possibility of physical death. God has ordained that the revealing of Himself in Glory, will be accomplished, “on earth as it is in Heaven”. It will be for an intended time, which all indicators point to being our present day. That God-ordained fashion of our progressive dying to self will allow a progressive transformation into His likeness. Paul emphasized the need for a Christian to die to self in order to live unto God as a precondition to being changed: I Cor. 15:31 “I die daily…” Heb 9:27 “it is appointed unto men once to die…” Rom 12:2 “…but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Because Christ accomplished the victory over death, having died Himself for the sins of mankind, we now stand in the potential place of benefiting from this work and attaining to a yet higher degree. Christ Who is our Conqueror, now makes us more than conquerors, so that, according to Paul’s actual meaning in that passage, there is a coming moment of transformation out of this physical, mortal frame directly into resurrection life-bypassing death itself! Paul describes that the price for this is that we be “conformed to the death of Him” (Verse 11). That is, we have to allow Him to take us to the very end of ourselves, “that the Life of Christ may be made manifest in our mortal flesh”. Then, verse 21 describes, “… Christ, Who will change the body of the humiliation of us for to be it (sic) conformed to the Body of the Glory of Him …” The Greek word for change is “metaschematizo” (Strongs 3345) meaning: to transfer or to transform. Our commonly held view of the Rapture is that the Body of Christ will be taken out of the world in a sudden moment of disappearance. What He then revealed to me is something FAR BETTER: it is not JUST a sudden, unannounced disappearance!
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Jesus Coming Before He Comes:
As I listened, He then said something that changed me forever. Very quietly but firmly it was, “Son, the church has it all wrong. It is not a disappearing. It is an appearing!”
Since the mid-1980’s, the Lord had begun to speak to me, a Word to the church, which has only opened to me more completely in these last few years. I have thought about it and prayed about it before venturing to speak about it. The Word He has given me is about the revealing. It is a Word to not just anyone. It is specifically directed to the Remnant, the true Bride of Christ, who waits with oil lamp ready in hand to hear His imminent announcement of arrival. It is the Transformation into the Resurrection Body that is, in fact, about to happen; or, as He showed it to me, “Jesus coming before He comes”. It is the true meaning of the Greek word Parousia. He is to be revealed first in the transformed state through us, as His Body on earth. It is His Body, “that little flock” of whom Jesus said, “…it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom”. This will be the listening, responding, dying to self, being set apart, progressively being transformed company. These will enter into the modern day “Noah’s Ark/Enoch’s Walk” experience. It will be the fulfillment of Jesus’ parable of the 10 virgins, of whom only 5 were waiting with enough oil in their lamps to meet the Bridegroom at His appearing. At a certain actual moment, there will not be a transition into death any longer, but a Sovereign working of His ability to complete us by transforming His remnant people, His true Bride, directly into His own resurrection likeness. We will then appear with Him in Glory. The “rapture”, from the Latin rapturo, meaning a “catching away”, will not be a disappearing as has been popularly taught in the church. A clearer understanding of the revealed Word shows that it is rather an appearing with Him, followed by a sudden removal. That “twinkling of an eye” will be when His called-apart ones who have died to themselves daily, finally cross heaven’s threshold in a single Sovereign moment of God’s choosing. The issue of a “disappearing rapture”, as it has been taught up to now, truly leaves the issue of an appropriate testimony on the earth unanswered. Where would be the church characterized in the Song of Solomon “as mighty as an army with banners”? We will be transformed into the resurrection state, just as He is now, when He comes for His true Bride. We will then be revealed to be truly like Him-“the ultimate definition of Christian” (i.e. “little Christs”). He will appear to receive His Bride, prior to His second coming, as a testimony of Himself to the whole world, just before antichrist is fully revealed. Romans 8:8 speaks of, “The Glory which shall be revealed.” Romans 8:22 “All creation groans at the revealing of the sons of God.” Malachi 3:2 “And who can stand when He appears?” Colossians 3:4 “… when Christ, Who is our Life appears, then we shall appear also with Him in Glory 1 Peter 5:4 “… and when the Chief Shepherd appears…” 1 John 3:2 “… when He is revealed…” 1 John 2:28 “abide in Him, that when He appears …” 2Thess 1:7 “… when the Lord Jesus is revealed… “ Matt. 10:26 Nothing is covered that will not be revealed. 1Cor 15:51-54 “… we shall be changed” (transformed) Testimony of the remnant Bride I asked the Lord, “How long?” He said, “40”. I asked, “40 what?” He said, “40 days”. The pattern is seen first in Jesus Himself, Who goes before us. Jesus spent 40 days prior to the onset of His ministry, in the desert. Much might be said of the purposes represented in that. The essential sense of it is that He was coming all the way to the end of His human limitations. Thereafter, His entire reliance was sharpened to be upon His Heavenly Father. Jesus arose to 40 days of Resurrection Life on earth, before returning to Heaven and to the Father. Note, there were 40 days of dying to self (human limitations), later followed by 40 days of Resurrection unto God (Heaven’s Glory revealed on earth). The number 40 has prophetically signified a number of key moments in prophetic history. The list of those prophetic moments associated is long and impressive. Noah experienced 40 days and 40 nights of rain before he could arrive into a transformed world and Jesus was 40 days in the wilderness before His ministry on earth began in earnest. Moses was 40 days on Mount Sinai at the giving of the law, before coming down to the people with a face that shone so brightly that he had to put a veil over it. We, “who follow the Lamb wherever He goes”, may well follow Him into a prophetic 40 “days” of the end to self, which will precede the Transformation. Only afterward will we follow Him into Life. After Jesus rose from the dead, He was 40 days in His Resurrection Body, coming and going to his disciples on earth before being taken up into Heaven in the sight of all. It is God’s true and enduring purpose that His testimony be a public witness, that it go on record to be noted for all time. Such is also the Lord’s original commission to the church that we bear faithful testimony of Who He is and what He has done. Notice also that during those 40 days after resurrection, Jesus did not appear to Caesar in Rome or to the magistrates and counsels of this world’s system. He only appeared to His own who received Him. As a result, the testimony of the early church was that of a first-hand account of literal resurrection from death. It was a testimony so profound that it enabled Christian Martyrs to go to the Roman arenas with total assurance. Such will be the case again in the era that is just ahead of us. A testimony will be born to all those within the circle of those called, and in so doing, He will add a testimony to the world itself. The “5 wise virgins”, waiting with enough oil for His appearing, will go out to meet Him in this day. They will be transformed to be fully like Him. But the 5 virgins who were not ready will not enjoy that privilege… Yet they are still betrothed. The testimony of the reality of the resurrection can still be carried by them, as they too will observe it the way that the early Church did. The 5 remaining virgins represent that part of the church which was “not ready”. They will be given the chance to become ready by finally and fully dying to themselves during the violent martyrdom of the anti-Christ era. Yet note this crucial point: both of the two groups of “virgins” must have come to the end of themselves before they could come even to the beginning of God. The first group has already “died”—having died daily. Hence, they will be ready for resurrection at the appearing of their Bridegroom.
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The “Greater Works”:
In Hebrew, the number 40 is a numerical symbol which describes something being brought to completion or judgment through intense activity or trial. As the Lord helped me to understand all of this, He showed me again how He is the Shepherd Who goes before His flock and illustrated to me a precept He had put into my heart in May of 2000. He showed me that His Precept for the church is, “We are to do ONLY what we see Him do”, and speak ONLY what we hear Him say.” (This is In agreement with Jesus’ own statement when He said, “I always do that which I see the Father doing.”) He showed me that just as Jesus Himself went before us in the Resurrection, and was on earth for 40 days afterwards, so it will be at His revealing that His waiting bride, who has gone out to meet Him, will be transformed into resurrection, for 40 days on earth. Just as He appeared, ministering to other disciples and believers in Him, so shall we also, in the same way, be doing as He did, first. We shall minister to those in the church, who were not ready at His coming, to prepare them for tribulation, which will follow shortly after, at the hands of antichrist. This ministry to the non-transformed ones, who will yet be saved, will be with the same effect as the Lord’s risen testimony upon the first century believers who saw and heard the risen Lord. They were then so vividly convinced of His victory over death, that they were able to go to martyr’s deaths with complete confidence of the resurrection to come. So, those who are left (along with others who will believe, hearing their testimony) will be prepared to “love not their lives even unto the death”. They will be empowered to broadcast the message of His love–and coming judgment to all nations, before the end. Just as Jesus was “taken up into Heaven in the sight of all” at the conclusion of 40 days, so the transformed saints will leave the earth after 40 days together with the Lord as a public testimony to the whole world of a triumphant church. Then, He will take her with Him—in the sight of all, just as He was taken up after 40 days of Resurrection on Earth. In my conversations with brother Capps, he spoke of the same thing. He spoke of the significance of God leaving a true and clear Testimony of Himself. He confirmed this point. These “Transformed ones” will enjoy the 7-day bridal week in Heaven. But before they leave, the 40 day period of time on earth will have represented that long awaited time of the fulfillment of “the Greater Works” which Jesus spoke of. These will be 40 days of the greatest testimony of God on earth that will have ever been seen. Before antichrist is given the chance to fully rule, the world will know the testimony of the Truth in living color. During these times of listening and receiving from Him, The Lord spoke to my spirit the following question: “Son, Who can do greater works than I did when I walked on Galilee’s shores?” My only response was, “…Lord, you know!” He replied, “There is One Who can do greater works than the Jesus that came to earth… it will be the Jesus Who was resurrected”. He then said that the change—or Transformation—will bring us into full alignment with the resurrection mind and body of Christ. We will be then fully identified with the risen Lord. We will have no vestige left of the mind of flesh. We will finally, fully be able to do the appointed “Greater Works”. At our present moment of pre-Transformation, we cannot realistically imagine what these could be. 1 Cor 13 says that when the perfect is come, the partial will be done away. Our works will reflect that fact. There will simply be no more admixture of the nature of flesh. It will be no more. The “perfect” will be seen in what Jesus called, “The Greater Works”, to come.
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Trial and the Contrite Heart:
The 7-day bridal week in Heaven will be simultaneous with the 7 years of “Jacob’s trouble on the earth”, when the Lord will then be specifically dealing with His ancient people of Israel. He will also be judging the rule of the antichrist and the godless systems and kingdoms of man on earth. All men must first realize that we are sinners who need a Savior. Then we must realize that God’s Love is so great that He provided the answer in His Son, Jesus the Messiah who died for the sins of mankind. But we must respond appropriately to that magnificent provision by saying “YES” to it. There is something significant, something of a watershed, which occurs when we decide to fully cooperate with God. He will not force our response, but He will require our response, our appropriate response to His first initiative of Grace. The scripture says that, “He is near those who are of a broken heart, but He saves those of a contrite spirit.” (Ps 34:1 The broken heart is still in the process of “going all the way down”. But the contrite, has actually, finally, achieved it! The message of the Transformation is that if you would embrace His Life, you will have to first embrace His death. Death must actually one day be transited in order to have arrived at the “other side”, namely Resurrection. The Lord does not cherish that ultimately, we must commit to physical death. He would illustrate, rather, to us and the world that “death is swallowed up in victory”. The Transformation is the fulfillment of that ultimate will of God in the redemption of our mortal bodies. But the bypassing of physical death cannot be achieved in His will for us, until we have fully allowed the death of the self-life which is apart from Him. That final end to the “self” which has been separate from Him, will free us into the long awaited beginning of Him, then into the Transformation of our bodies into the likeness of His own Resurrection state.
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The End of Futility:
The Transformation spells the end of futility. It is the end of the effects of the sin of Adam (Habakkuk 2:13-14). The Transformation is the full conforming of our flesh to meet His Presence. As the Lord told Moses (Exodus 33:20), “you cannot see My Face, for no man shall see me and live”. To approach Him then, to walk out into His Presence, is to die to the flesh. To behold His Face is to be Transformed into the Glory, that is, into His very likeness. The Glory of God is revealed to us in the very face of Jesus, the Messiah (2 Corinthians 4:6). The Face of Jesus reveals the Glory of God. As we then continue to look at Him, we find that His likeness is increasingly seen on our faces. As we continue to behold, as in a mirror, the Face of Jesus, we behold the glory. We are then progressively becoming transformed into His Own image and likeness, from one degree of Glory to the next (2 Cor 3:1. That which is distractive from Transformation is ultimately destructive. The church of Jesus Christ is appointed unto His purposes for a Divine End in the latter day. Only a revelation of the Word in your life can bring you to the God-ordained end of yourself. Any other means is only a kind of substitute–a religious counterfeit–of His Works in your life. To be called as a disciple is to be called into a discipline. It is to set a gaze upon Him without distraction until we are completely transformed into His likeness from the former likeness of human flesh to the full and future likeness of the One Who has called us from our death into His Life (Greek “Zoe” meaning the God kind of life, or life as God has it.)
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Enoch, Noah, and Jonah: Full Identification with Him:
The Enoch experience of a walk with God was that of one day going with Him so far out into the Presence and beholding Him so intently, that nothing was left to hold him to an earthly confine. He eventually never returned from His walk, he just kept on going. This is in fact the ultimate end of a walk of faith: the permanent and unimpeded access to His Presence. The Noah experience of a walk with God was that same kind spoken of in Hebrews 10:36-37: “For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised. “For still a little while–a very little while–and the Coming One will come and He will not delay.” (Amp) Hebrews 11:7 says that by faith, “Noah, being forewarned of God concerning events of which as yet there was no visible sign, took heed and diligently and reverently constructed and prepared an ark for the deliverance of his own family. By this [his faith which relied on God] he passed judgment and sentence on the world’s unbelief and became an heir and possessor of righteousness…” Up to our present day, the church’s only reference points into the manifest presence of God have been with His visitations in the history of revivals. These have been seen from the day of Pentecost to Azusa Street. In our prophetic moment, we can no longer be content with a visitation from God, as in ages past. Today, we can only be content to become a habitation of God. This is the moment when the true bride of Christ will begin to be prepared to wear pure white, as Her Bridegroom comes to meet her. Her preparation will be a Sovereign one, not done by her own effort, because it cannot be done by her own effort. He must do what only He can do, as she does what only she can do, by His Grace. In recent days, I have been led to read and re-read the book of Jonah. I did not know why exactly, until I later read Matthew 16. The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, asking Him to show them a sign (a spectacular miracle) attesting His Divine Authority. Jesus’ response was, “a wicked and morally unfaithful generation craves for a sign, but no sign shall be given it, except for the sign of the Prophet Jonah.” The Amplified Bible then references Jonah 3:4-5 which reads. “…and Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, ‘yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ so the people of Nineveh believed in God, and proclaimed a fast…” Recall that Jonah 1:1 describes Jonah’s original commission was to proclaim against the city, “…for their wickedness has come up before me”. We see that “the wicked generation” in Jesus’ day, and of which Jesus spoke, would also receive the sign of Jonah. It had the same condition of wickedness as did Nineveh in Jonah’s day. They were both a, “wicked and morally unfaithful generation”. They both received therefore, the same sign. What was that sign? It was the appearance of “Jonah” himself. Jonah, after having been swallowed by the fish, was then spit back out after 3 days in the fishes’ belly. He was transformed in appearance. The action of digestive enzymes would have left him looking de-pigmented and unnaturally white. Jesus rose again after 3 days in the grave. His resurrection body was not at first able to be recognized by some of His diciples because He had been transformed. Furthermore, he describes that while in the fishes’ belly for 3 days, “…the earth, with its bars, closed behind me forever. Yet, You have brought up my life from the pit and corruption, oh Lord My God.” (Chapter 2:6) In other words, he says that he had passed through death itself, to be used as a testimony of the truth of the message that God would judge this wicked generation, … in 40 DAYS time. In Matt 16, after Jesus had told the Pharisees of the attesting sign that their wicked generation could expect to receive, He asked His disciples (V.15), “who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Then, Jesus answered Him, “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in Heaven …I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven . . .” The title of Bar-Jonah literally means “Son of Jonah”; or that Peter had supernaturally received a revelation, a revealing, of the same nature that was intended in Jonah’s God-given message to Nineveh: “BELIEVE AND TURN”. The sign of the prophet Jonah was that God had actually brought His Prophet through death, to proclaim warning to a wicked and morally corrupt generation that they had 40 days to respond to Him. Jonah’s generation is a type of our own. Our present generation is equally that “wicked generation” of Nineveh’s day and of Jesus’ Day. It, too will receive the sign of the prophet Jonah: Transformed saints brought through death, preaching an eternal Gospel in ultimate power.
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Summary:
The Transformation saints will be those brought through and actually beyond death. They will proclaim on earth God’s message of warning to this unbelieving present generation–for 40 days. They will do so using the “keys to the kingdom” that the believing Peter was promised by Jesus. These shall be the “Greater Works”. Peter’s revelation of Christ as the Son of the Living God saw Jesus as the Eternal Son of God. His death on the cross, which was to follow, was characterized by 3 days in the grave, after which He appeared unto many in a Transformed state for 40 days: the exact parallel of Jonah. Just as Nineveh of old was so startled by this sign that they repented, so did many, in the wicked generation of Jesus’ day. So, will our own generation shortly become witness to the actual physical evidence of the resurrection from death by the living and true God. It is likely that the result will be massive revival, on a scale probably never before seen, just as the clock of time in the age of Grace winds to an end. The sign of Jonah to be delivered in our day, will be similarly demonstrated in a sum total transformation of those who have been dying daily, so as to be fully conformed to the death of Jesus their Savior. They will appear in that moment, even as their Lord did in His Resurrection. They will be deathless even as He was. They themselves will be the “sign” to this wicked generation, and they will be eloquent for 40 days, as their Lord Himself was, and is today. Then shall be judgment for those who do not receive His testimony. For then, that generation will have seen the evidence of the resurrection, of “The Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And they will be without excuse. After this will be the coming of the Lord to publicly judge the Antichrist and to rule the nations, in what we have long spoken of as His Second Coming, when EVERY eye shall see Him!
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A Prophetic Dream of Rapture
Armin A. Wolff
February 15, 1993
Last night, I had an extremely exciting and vivid dream-vision concerning the return of our LORD Jesus. I normally never remember anything I dream, but this was so gripping and vivid, and I have been thinking about it all day today. I would like to share it with you and hereby also have a written record. I found myself in a meeting with a number of believers. The meeting hall looked like some kind of a warehouse and there were fewer than 100 assembled. The talk seemed to center on the increasing persecution they were experiencing. All of a sudden, Jesus appeared and most, but not all, were instantly transformed from mortal beings into immortal. Also, at the same instant, some other Holy Ones appeared who had walked with God in ages past, both in New and Old Testament times. All of the ones who had, in an instant of time, received their new bodies were able to recognize and converse with the Holy Ones from times past. I heard someone exclaim: “I thought You are coming in the clouds to take us away.” The reply was: “I am coming in the clouds and… My reward is with Me. Behold, here they are, My Holy Ones of all time, My faithful witnesses, those who loved not their life, and thus received it. They are the clouds and My reward, My reward for what I endured on the cross for all.” I heard another question asked of the LORD, by one of the Transformed Persons, whether He would now take them with Him out of the Tribulation they were experiencing. He replied: “No, you must remain here for another 40 days and nights, just as I was on Earth for another 40 days after My resurrection, and minister with Me to those who were not ready. After the 40 days and nights, you will come with Me into the skies above Jerusalem, and we will leave from there to have a celebration, a banquet in My Father’s house, a feast that has been planned before the worlds were made.” The ones in the assembly, who had remained in their mortal bodies, lamented and cried to the Transformed Ones to help them, but were told: “It is now too late. The Bridegroom has come for us, and there is nothing we can do for you, in this regard. However, if you will not love your own life, not bow to the will of the sin-man and take that seal of his, you will join us after the celebration. You will be sealed by your death, and kept in the throne room for the LORD.” In what seemed a moment later, I was in another similar assembly in (maybe) another country. There, also, the instant transformation had taken place of many. I was told that this same event had happened all over the Earth, and all born-again Spirit-filled followers of Jesus had been thus transformed, at whatever spot they happened to be in that instant, and were joined by many of God’s Holy Ones, from the dawn of creation up to the present time. Just then, some heavily armed police or soldiers, burst into the meeting and proceeded to beat, shoot, and arrest the believers. A little blonde Transformed lady stood up to one of the large men, and refused to move, when told she was under arrest. Five or six huge men tried to drag her away, but could not move her any further than they could have moved an ancient redwood or oak tree. This infuriated the police, and they started to beat her, and to start shooting their weapons. The bullets went right through the Transformed Believers, and made holes in the walls, or in some cases, struck and killed some of the mortals standing behind them. The blows seemed to go through, also, and have no effect whatsoever on the new resurrection bodies. The remaining mortals were dragged off to prison, along with some of the Transformed Ones who chose to go along. There was no sure way to tell at first glance, who was mortal or who lived in a transcendent resurrection body. I was then also in a prison, and saw how the immortals were comforting the anguished souls, who were to be executed, unless they denounced the name of Jesus. The guards and all governmental authorities were furious that they could do absolutely nothing to prevent the Glorified Believers from coming and going and ministering anywhere on Earth, wherever Jesus told them to go. No wall could hem them in, and no weapon or human force could oppose or harm them. One of the Transformed Saints who had lived ages ago on Earth spoke: “Within 40 days, all who refuse to accept the seal of the Evil One will be killed, and kept safe by the Father, personally, in the throne room. Those who give in, will suffer in the Terrible Wrath beginning after the last Saint is murdered. This Wrath is the LORD’s Last Effort to get rebellious mankind to repent.” At this point, I awoke and, as you can imagine, was quite agitated. In fact, my heart rate was considerably above the normal resting level. The clock said 5:05 AM. Needless to say, I could not go back to sleep. Over time, I may forget the details of this dream or vision, but one thing I’ll never forget is the anguish, wailing, and heart-rending lamentations of those who had to remain here. I do not know how many of these chose to be killed rather than take the seal of the Anti-Christ. Scripture does speak of a group coming out of the Great Tribulation, but whether some are from those who were left behind or not, was not made clear to me in this vision.
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✿ ~ jesus is coming ~ ✿ 