Archive for December, 2021
Posted by appolus on December 29, 2021
Ecc 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God has done from the beginning to the end.
Now there is a thing, He has set eternity in the hearts of men. What could that mean? The verse begins with “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Saints, if we could get a hold of that truth then it would transform our lives in ever way. Everything is beautiful in its time to those who bow to the God of all eternity. If I am a sculptor and take a block of stone, then the block of stone is beautiful to me because I know what is going to become of it. A canvas with just a few paint strokes on it is beautiful in its time because the artist has already seen in his heart what it shall be. Every stroke is a vital part of the whole.
Your circumstances are beautiful in its time if you shall trust the Lord your God in the midst of it. Every aspect of your life is one more thread in the tapestry that God already sees. Can you bow to that? You, dear saint, are beautiful, right now, today. The Lord already knows what He has planned for you and at this very moment you are in the midst of it. This eternity is the gulf between what is now and what was and what is to come. Like the ocean, the beginning from the end is shrouded by the horizon, but the end is already there, This is eternity in your heart. It creates the need for you to trust in the Lord your God and equips you for faith. Trust in the Lord your God this day and see the beauty in it.
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Posted by appolus on December 27, 2021
Dan 12:7 ….and when the power of the holy people have been completely shattered all these things shall be finished.
In Daniel chapter 12 we see the prophecy of the end times. by the angel. There will be a “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” At the end of all of that there shall be a great deliverance for “everyone who is found written in the book.” Yet first there will be a “complete shattering.” The identifying aspects of this time, according to the angel is “many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase.” The phrase here used in the scriptures “to and from,” means to travel. So, a time when travel is greatly increased and knowledge is greatly increased. I would like to suggest that this is the time in which we live.
All of this prophecy takes place on a river bank. One angel on one side, the second angel on the other side and the “man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river.” This “man,” is certainly Christ. And the question asked of the Christ is “how long.” And we see that the sign of the end of the ages is much knowledge, much travel and a complete shattering of the holy people whose names are written in the book. The saints are the holy people. The book is the book of life and now is the season. In Matt 24:3 we hear this similar question asked of Jesus “Tell us when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age.” The disciples are asking this question of the man who they had personally saw walking above the waters.
And in verse nine Jesus says that they “will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by all nations for my namesake.” In Rev 13:7 we are told that at the end of ages “it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them……….all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world.” The power of the holy people will be completely shattered. The devil shall prevail against them….for a time. In that time saints, this is when the faith that our lives are founded upon and the freedom that we have been granted, will be tested.
I am writing this to the overcomer’s. To the holy people of God.To those who will endure to the end, the very end. The wisdom of God shall cause you to “shine, like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan 12:3) The man of Linen stood above the waters. The Lord Jesus stood above the waters. When the storm was raging and the waters very tumultuous, Christ was above it and He calls us to rise above the stormy waters in faith. It seems certain that Isaac would die and Abraham’s vision and promise from God would be shattered, but not so. It seemed certain that the Son of man was dead and buried and the promises of God dead and buried with Him, but not so. It will seem certain that the Holy people and the power of God is defeated, but not so. Wait, saints, wait…..wait….overcome….endure….be refined in the fires of affliction and shine like the stars in heaven, for the Son of man shall find faith on this earth when He returns.
And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luk 18:7-8)
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church, end times, End Times Eschatology, Eschatology - Study of the 'End Times', faith, Jesus, prophecy, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on December 26, 2021
Freedom is totally unconfined
And surely break the cords that bind
It set me adrift in the midst of an endless sea
It swallowed and consumed me, now I am surely free
Freedom is the reason that He came from up above
Freedom is His work and the consequences of
The Fathers love and His desire to set the captives free
And every saint in all the earth shall surely all agree
That freedom is the narrow path as wide as the Fathers heart
And freedom is the cords of love that never comes apart
It is the mighty rushing wind, an unstoppable incoming tide
It is the depths of the Fathers heart, the place where I shall hide
The Kingdom of God, my heart cries out, and calls it freedom land
It is the solid Rock in a sinking world, where I forever stand
It is the air I breath, each beat of my heart, which He gave unto me
It is nail pierced hands and wounded side that set my spirit free
Calvary alone attests to the work that Christ Himself has done
And to freedoms glorious victory that He alone has won
Who could have ever known that to nail Christ to a tree
Would destroy the power of bondage and set the captive free
Posted in christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, controlling churches, Jesus, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on December 23, 2021
Dan 9:17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
Oh Lord, cause your face to shine upon the sanctuary that is desolate. Surely we, just as much as Daniel can cry out to God this prayer. The sanctuary lies in darkness and in ruins as Daniel prays this prayer. It is forsaken and abandoned and only the light from the face of God Almighty can pierce and shatter the darkness that it lies under. We too, in our day, find ourselves far from that place that God would have us to be. A place of unity among the Body of Christ. A place of power and love. Babylon has taken us today just as surely as it took the Israelite’s. Yet we labor under the great disadvantage of not knowing we have been taken.
Jesus says in John 17:24 “Father I desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am, that they may behold My glory.” In this place of glory there dwells immeasurable light. It is the light from the face of God Himself. This light, this glory fills the temple. We as a people are a sanctuary that lies in ruins. We dwell at ease in Babylon. We are lulled by its Satanic lullaby. Oh Lord, for thine own sake cause your Face to shine upon us that we mat reflect thy glory into a dark and dying world. How else will the people of darkness even know that there is such a light? Let them lift their eyes towards the night sky and see that it declares your glory, let them cast their eyes upon a people of light whose countenance reflects your glory.
Posted in bible, Christian, christian living, Christianity, church, Daily devotional, Devotions, Jesus, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on December 22, 2021
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. (Mat 16:24)
An external religion, with its rules and forms, has taken the place of an inward experience with Christ. The saints of old- Abraham, Isaac, Enoch and Job- knew and experienced God inwardly in a personal and vital way. For Christ to truly reign within you, everything must be submitted to Him without reservation. There are many who oppose such a total surrender to this reign. ( Jeanne Guyon)
Madam Guyon knew well that only the cross could bring us to this place of total surrender. Yet even here, it is we who are called to take up our cross, and daily. God creates the perfect cross for each of us. The cross you bore last year is probably not the cross you bear this year, or perhaps even the cross you bore yesterday. God knows it all. It is His craftsmanship. By means of the cross He shapes you. Like a glacier that cuts through everything it its path and leaves behind mountains and valleys, so too the crosses that we bear. It shapes us in ways that only a cross could. And it is we who must pick them up, God will not do this for us.
The alternative is external religion. With external religion there is no inward experience of Christ, no picking up the cross daily, no shaping of the inward man, just the outward shell, the thing that shall return to dust. Men and women will suffer a great deal in order to stay enthroned on their own hearts. In order to take up the cross we must abdicate this throne and see Christ take His rightful place. Do not suffer as the world suffers brothers and sisters. Suffer for Christ’s sake as His Godly reign is established in your heart through the only means available, the daily cross.
Posted in bible, christian living, Christian quotes, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, intimacy, Jesus, revival, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on December 21, 2021
Isa 22:13 Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!
In the beginning of this chapter we see these first words “The burden against the Valley of vision.” What is this valley of vision? It is Jerusalem, surrounded by mountains and filled with prophets. A once bustling prosperous city, now quieted by the march of the Assyrians. The streets are no longer bustling with commerce, everyone has taken to their rooftops to contemplate their fate as the Assyrians devastate the surrounding regions and other nations. The valley of vision would soon become the valley of decision. What would they decide? Would they weep and mourn for the coming judgement or would they throw all caution to the wind and “eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” This is the cry of mockers down through the ages and when a nation or nations take up that mantle then the end is surely in sight.
Paul says in 1 Cor 15:32 “If the dead do not rise let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” If there is no resurrection, if there be no eternal life, if Christ was but a man who died, then this life and this life alone is all that matters. And if that were true then why would the inhabitants of the earth not make every attempt to live their best lives now? Can I argue dear saint that this is exactly the state of the world? And what a great tragedy that in a nation of vision, meaning a nation that knows the truth, that has been taught the truth, that has indeed been blessed by the truth, that this very nation would be the foremost nation in eating and drinking and being merry for they see no eternal tomorrow.
Isa 22:2 “Your slain men are not slain by the sword.” Imagine the horror of being dead but not being dead. It is said that the brave man dies one but the coward dies a thousand times. Our nation is a nation of slain men. Fear stalks the streets. A virus has shut down our commerce andour industry but its not really the virus at all that has shut the wheels of commerce down, it is the fear that stalks men’s hearts, they die every day. Cowards led by cowards. Men without faith, men given over to the world, men who should know better. The Assyrians drew ever closer to Jerusalem and commerce began to dry up and food became scarce in the cities. Can you see it saints? Can you see the hearts of men today?
Now after all of this men should contemplate their fate. They should call out to God. They should fall on their faces in mourning and weeping and repentance. The should decide. They have the Word, they have the Truth among them, now, shall they weep? God calls for weeping and for mourning but strangely He hears joy and gladness. Not the joy and gladness of a people at rest and at peace with God, but the kind of joy that comes when men have thrown of God and made a decision about their fate. They shall eat, they shall drink and the drink will cause the fool to be merry even as that same fool stands under the shadow of the gathering clouds.
Joel 2:1 Blow a rams horn in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble. For the day of Jehovah comes, for it is near at hand.
So brothers and sisters, do likewise. Blow the trumpet. In Joels day they lost everything to a devastating plague of locusts. Not an ordinary plague, a devastating supernatural plague designed to call the people to repentance. In the last 20 years we have seen 9/11, a tsunami that was unknown in our times or our history books, Hurricane Katrina and then a financial meltdown that took the world to the brink. We have had wars in the middle east and now a pandemic. In Joels day they had just over 30 years before they were invaded and destroyed. They did not heed this warning from the prophet or even the judgment. They managed to get back on their feet again, just in time to be destroyed. We are laboring under the same illusion, just trying to get back to “normal.’ The decision is this. Weep and mourn and cry out to the Living God, or eat and drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. You shall surely die for all men die, but the fool dies eternally.
Could the Chinese be the Assyrians? Could America be swept up in civil war? I hear the howls of protest. “We have fortified our walls, we are too strong.” “We are far too sophisticated to ever again be destroyed by civil war.” Wrong on both accounts. There is no “fortifications,’ that cannot be brought down. Isa 19:14 The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit. Even now the hearts of Americans are turned on each other. How much more would it take for them to tear themselves apart? It is mere pride that says these things can never be. Think of how it staggered the minds of the Apostles to learn that not one stone would be left un-turned in the destruction of Jerusalem. And Jesus wept. It is better for men to weep over their own fate for in the weeping they may find a way back to God. But when God weeps for man……woe is man. Decide today whom you will serve.
Posted in Babylon, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of england, church of scotland, consequences of sin, end times, End Times Eschatology, False Prophets, God's voice, Jesus, prophecy, prophet, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on December 19, 2021
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
In verse nine Paul tells the Corinthians that they are God’s field, they are God’s building. And so what lies at the foundation of who we are? Jesus Christ Himself. He owns the land and He owns the structures and He is the foundation. As a former builder who has built many structures and have studied many structures from history I have observed the following. Foundations were typically constructed out of what what was readily available nearby. Sometimes older structures had no foundations at all. Other times trenches were filled with small stones, sometimes large rocks. Of course most foundations today are constructed from poured concrete. Yet eternal foundations are laid in grace and formed in Christ.
We are constructed by grace, the unmerited favor of God. This is the foundation of it all. Upon everything that has any eternal value you will find this foundation, the unmerited favor of God poured out on the world that He created. He sent His only begotten Son into a chaotic world that had no coherent stability. A world wracked and moved by sin and death. And the Lord Jesus subdued this inherent instability and created order by overcoming sin and hell and death. Now His creation could rise from the ashes of rebellion and chaos. The grace of God is the instruction, the grace of God is the foundation, the grace of God is the structure. For by grace you are saved through faith and this is the gift of God. Not by our own works, lest we should boast but we are His workmanship. (Eph 2:8-10)
You dear saint, are His workmanship. No man can build you, and no man can boast in you. God always finishes what He starts. He is not like fickle man. He will finish what He has begun in you, and it is a good work. And it is for His own will and good pleasure. Remember that this day. Remember the foundation upon which you stand. Remember who the Master-builder is that is constructed you. Be confident in Him. When you see this, you will know and trust in Him that He will finish what He started in you. His is a labor of love. He sees in you what you could never see. Close your eyes for a few moments. Now open the eyes of your heart and understand the foundation upon which you stand. Let this give you the confidence to stand. In the heat of the battle, in the cool of the day your Lord came into your life and there He shall stay. For He is unmovable and those who stand upon Him shall not be moved.
Posted in bible, Christian, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, Jesus, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on December 16, 2021
1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
A singular focus saints. Do you have a singular focus? Is that focus the Lord Jesus Christ and Calvary? If we ever get away from this singular focus, and I would argue that almost all of Christendom has, then we are in a world of trouble. Jesus and the cross and the resurrection is the beginning, the middle and the end of the story. The modern day minister or pastor does not present himself in weakness and fear and much trembling. Why not? Well, we would despise him if he did. Rather he must be confident and self assured. He must have the ability to use persuasive words. This is the power of men but it is not the power of God.
There is a hidden wisdom of God that has been directly created to speak to the hidden aspects of man. It cannot be adequately described, it can only be experienced. There are no words to describe what it means for a man to communicate, by the power of the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Only the Spirit of God knows the things of God. And therefore only by the Spirit of God can we know anything of God. The wisdom of God has been expertly wrapped up in what the world considers to be foolish. It is therefore true that those of the world cannot discover such wisdom outside of the Spirit of God Himself who highlights, promotes and convicts all men everywhere of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Are you strong in the eyes of the world or in the eyes of your congregation or those you gather with? Do you speak with persuasive words? Or are you determined in your spirit to not know anything save Jesus and Him crucified? This is foolishness to the world saints. This is foolishness to your average congregation. Do they not rather wish to hear the wisdom of man? Tell us how to live. Tell us what God says about this, tell us what God says about that. Where are the men with the singular obsession with Jesus Christ our Lord and Him crucified? Therein lies all the solutions to every problem you will ever have. The cross. The further the cross recedes into the background, the further we get from victorious living and the more we rely on the wisdom of man which only takes us still further away. God in heaven help us to determine to know nothing other than Christ and Him crucified.
Posted in bible, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church, church of england, churches, Daily devotional, Devotions, Jesus, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on December 14, 2021
Luk 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
What does it mean to be blameless before the Lord? How can an imperfect heart be perfect before the Lord, blameless in all of its ways? Are we not called as saints to live blameless lives, exemplary lives? Indeed we are. No one should be able to bring a reproach against us. This is the high calling of God on our lives. We have been so taken up with the false notion that we are just “sinners saved by grace,” that many measure the standard of their lives by the lowest possible denominator rather than Christ Himself. This has been disastrous.
Holiness. Righteousness. Is this the desire of your heart? Do you want the righteousness of Christ to shine through your lives for all the world to see? Do you want to live a holy life as unto the Lord? The Lord knows the heart, He sees the desire of it. The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hew 4:12) God knows the heart. The imperfect heart can be blameless before the Lord for He knows our motivations.
The beat of the longing heart echos throughout the ages. The righteousness of Christ rules supreme and we find our righteousness in Him alone, but the blameless heart is a beautiful thing unto the Lord. He is never fooled. He knows the intent and the motivations of His children. And all of this should cause us to come up higher as we are drawn to the beauty of His holiness. Let others be satisfied with pronouncing themselves as mere sinners, but let the saint know that the righteousness of Christ flowing through them shall reflect upon the darkness of this world. We must have a longing heart saint, a heart that above all else desires to seek Him first and His righteousness. Let us be found blameless.
Posted in bible, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church, church of england, church of scotland, churches, Daily devotional, Devotions, God's love, Jesus, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology | 1 Comment »
Posted by appolus on December 12, 2021
Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
There are two broad categories of people within the realms of Christendom. One group is very large and the other fairly small. The smaller group are the folks that the above scripture alludes to. The other group are religious, with all its many facets. The good, the bad and the ugly but of course in the end its all darkness to those who cannot discern the voice of God. Those who cannot be moved by His Spirit, who do not have the laws of God written upon their hearts and their minds will always stumble and become the antagonist towards those who are so moved.
Let me give you a hypothetical. Abraham has his son of promise. Oh how long he waited. He and Sarah finally had what they knew that God had promised. Of course Abraham had told others of this child and the promises associated with him and the nation that would be born in him. And one day, seemingly out of nowhere, God tells Abraham to take his son and kill him. Now imagine what his closest friends would make of that. Imagine what his own wife would make of that. Can you hear their arguments? “Abraham you’re mad. God would never contradict Himself. You have misheard. Under no circumstances must you do this.”
And here we have the difference between those who know the voice of God and those who merely know truth. It is all true what they would say. Isaac was certainly the child of promise. Everything that God had promised Abraham would come to pass. Yet Abraham knew the voice of God. And in the end, those who shall be led by His Spirit will know the voice of God, for His very will is written upon our hearts. We must obey God even when we do not fully understand. There are plenty of men who only know the truth as it is written, but it has not be written upon their hearts.
The Holy Spirit is not leading them and guiding them and inspiring them to know and understand the words written. Outside of the Holy Spirit there is but a two dimensional understanding of the Scriptures. The revelation of the word of God can only be discerned by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Everything else is religion. Common wisdom would say that Isaac should not be taken up the hill. If Abraham had not taken his son up the hill then he would not be the father of faith. Yet, as always, the just shall live by faith. And the deaf? They shall stumble in the darkness.
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Posted by appolus on December 7, 2021
Zec 4:6 Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts.
This is such a well known Scripture, probably quoted millions of times a year around the world. How much consideration or perhaps even knowledge of the context of this Scripture is brought to bear when this is quoted? The context of course is the vision of the lamp-stand and the two olive trees. The lamp is vitally connected to the two olive trees. While the connection remains, the lamp can never burn out. Are we not vitally connected to the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit? No lamp has any real value without the light that it produces. Our power and our might cannot light the lamp, only the oil can.
What happens to the lamp when it is disconnected from the source of oil? The light goes out. What happens to you saint when you are disconnected from the Holy Spirit? I hear the howls of protest at the mere thought that somehow we can disconnect ourselves from the Holy Spirit, or that we can quench the Holy Spirit in our lives. King David famously cries out in psalm 51 “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” We can quench the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can disconnect ourselves so to speak when we sin and when we hold onto that sin.
Let me give you this example. As a married couple has there been times when you and your spouse have not spoken? You are still married, still living in the same house, probably still sleeping in the same bed, but not talking. A “distance,” has been created. Even in bed, staying to your own side of the bed. A emotional distance, a physical distance a break in the relationship. Yet, still married, still cohabiting. So, this “distance,” is the problem. The Scriptures recognize “distance.” We are told to “draw near,” to God and He will draw near to us, is that not right? In that very same scripture (James 4:8) James tells us to “cleanse,” our hands and purify your hearts. Humble yourself, he says, in the sight of the Lord and He shall raise you up.
Humility is the key to vital connection. You cannot be vitally connected to God and walk in pride. A man and a wife cannot come back together again until someone humbles themselves and asks for forgiveness. Only then does the oil begin to flow. Only then does the darkness flee as the Light begins to break forth. Only then does the communication begin afresh and closeness is reestablished and intimacy is restored. Only by the Spirit of God can there be light. Only by the Spirit of God can there be communication, and most importantly, only by the Spirit of God can there be intimacy. When the oil is flowing, every obstacle is laid low. Not even a mountain can stop you, for it shall crumble before you with shouts of grace, grace, marvelous grace!!!!
Posted in bible, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church, church of england, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, intimacy, Jesus, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted by appolus on December 5, 2021
Haggai 2:3a Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory?
Here we see in Haggai a reference to the “second,” temple, the one that would be rebuilt. The first temple had been destroyed and Israel was taken captive to Babylon. Now, several decades later, a “remnant,” had returned. When given the opportunity, about a third left the comfort and the relative luxury of Babylon to return to Jerusalem. They of course found the temple broken down and it was in their hearts to rebuild it. Most of them knew nothing of the glory of the temple in its original splendor. They had heard tales of course, but the reality of what they found and the hostile nature of the territory meant that for almost twenty years, little to no progress was made in the rebuilding of the temple. The people were too busy living their own lives and attending to their own house-holds to attend to the temple.
In our day, brothers and sisters, we too have a remnant. We too live in a hostile environment. We are often too busy to be invested in the Body of Christ, the true and living temple. Who among us can remember a day when you walked into a gathering and the presence of the Lord was so evident that you dare not speak, not even whisper? There was an “awareness,” of His glory. There was no need for dimmed lights and smoke machines. His presence compelled you to your knees. Nobody had to tell you to raise your hands, they simply took their rightful place, aloft and surrendered to the glory. There was a “holy heaviness,” where one could barely lift their heads. Tentatively a song would rise from a lowly saint and then the whole congregation would join in as waves of glory would wash over them until a word would come forward, a testimony, a scripture and the waves would continue to come.
The Lord says to the people of Haggai “so my Spirit remains among you, do not fear…..once more I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all the nations………and I will fill this temple with glory….the silver is Mine and the gold is Mine…..the glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former….. and in this place I shall give peace.” (Haggai 6-9) God is raising up a temple here in these last days, a temple built without human hands and He shall fill this temple with such glory that it shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Out of this temple shall flow the knowledge of the glory of God. His peace shall rest upon His people even as they are surrounded by hostility. The greater glory of the Lord as manifested to men still remains to be seen. We, brothers and sisters, are living stones in that very temple. Rejoice and be glad today for the Bridegroom cometh for the Bride and the temple is being made ready.
Posted in Babylon, bible, Christian, christian living, Christianity, church, church of england, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, End Times Eschatology, Fresh Fire, Jesus, prophecy, revival, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Posted by appolus on December 2, 2021
Zeph 3:12 I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.
God has a people in the midst of a wicked and adulterous generation. They are His saints. His priests in a royal priesthood. They are humble because they have been humbled. They trust in the name of the Lord because they have been tried in the fires of affliction. They have walked through the floods. The waters did not overwhelm them and the flames did not burn them. For in the midst of it all is the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom they trust. They have been broken for His cause. They understand rejection. Yet no matter what, the love of the truth burns inside of them like a raging inferno that consumes all of the dross, all of the flesh.
In the previous verse, Zeph 3:11 we see another group of people. A people destined to be removed by the Lord’s own hand. A haughty people who were proud in His “Holy mountain.” Who are these people that are haughty in the holy place? Religious people. Matthew Henry says this of them “they were haughty because of the holy mountain, were conceited of themselves, scornful of others, and set even the judgments of God at defiance. Note, Church-privileges, when they are not duly improved as they ought to be, are often made the matter of men’s pride and the ground of their security. But that haughtiness is the most offensive to God which is supported and fed by the pretensions of holiness. This God will silence and take away.”
In Verse 18 God says “I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly,” and in verse 19 says “I will save the lame and gather those who were driven out.” He is gathering the meek and the humbled. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. The road to glory is narrow and paved with many afflictions and sorrows. Our Lord waked this very path. Shall we not follow Him saints? For the joy that is set before us, shall we follow where He leads? Every tear that is shed and every man or woman who is broken for His cause shall not be wasted, rather they shall be fruitful indeed. It is the broken and the contrite that the Lord restores. It is the tears of the saints that waters the fields of the harvest.
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Posted by appolus on December 1, 2021
The Body of Christ, has not changed down through the centuries, always at her core she has been called to be a witness, an eye-witness to God’s glory. This is the essential heartbeat of Gods Remnant bride and always will be. In this role she has been used as a sanctuary, the sanctuary, the Holy of Holy’s. She is a tabernacle in the wilderness, she is Gods temple here on earth. At the same time she has always been despised by the religious spirit because she speaks truth to power. In these last days God says in His word through His prophet Zechariah that ” In that last day a fountain shall be opened up for the house of David,” and God Himself says again through the prophet that ( speaking of Christendom) “Two thirds in it shall be cut off and die. But one-third shall be left in it. I will bring the one-third through the fire, I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer them. I will say ” This is my people.” (Zec 13:8-9)
And so we see that a fountain shall be opened in that day for the house of David. Can you imagine how welcome a fountain would be in the midst of a dry and thirsty land, a land racked with drought and famine? I want us, as we consider the role of the remnant, the Body of Christ, in the last days, to look at two men of God and see what parallels we can draw. Let’s look at Noah and as we look let’s think about the context of the time in which he lived. It’s a time and a place of great wickedness and as we know, there would only be a tiny fraction saved. Noah is commissioned to build an ark over a long period of time. Now, we know that Noah faced ridicule and scorn. First of all what he was building have never been built before. Secondly, rain had never fallen from the sky and the notion that the whole earth would be covered by a flood was preposterous to all who lived then.
Every day Noah’s hammer could be heard, every day the ark took shape and was rising up. The continuous hammering would have been a great source of irritation to all around him. Noah would have to keep building despite the ridicule and the scorn and the anger because the rain was surely coming and he was being obedient to his calling. We too as Gods remnant people have to keep true to what the Lord has called us to. We are also in the ark business. There was one place of salvation when the rains of judgment began to fall, it was the ark. Can I put it to you brothers and sisters that the remnant church of God is God’s ark built by the hands of Jesus.
With the judgments beginning to fall, with the beginning of the birth pangs, it will become apparent that God has a people who have not bowed the knee to Baal. God is getting ready to reveal His ark by bringing judgment and allowing the rise of the anti-christ. This ark will be a witness to the glory of God and His way of escape. This ark will be used as a last chance for the un-redeemed of the world to be saved before final judgment. This ark will be revealed to the world by isolation and persecution, all of the world will see this ark and they will be without excuse when that day comes, for this ark is the glory of Christ here on the earth and He reveals Himself through what He has built.
Now lets consider Joseph and consider the context and the back-drop of his day. Here we have Joseph who has been called to save a remnant. “And God sent me before you to save a Remnant in the earth and to save your life by a great deliverance.” ( Gen 45:7) Before Joseph could do this he had to be scorned and ridiculed by his own. Because of dreams and visions that scorn turned to anger and hatred. He was then rejected and sold into slavery. He becomes a slave and then is wrongfully accused and ends up in prison, seeming forgotten and forsaken. Yet, God of course had never left him. This is part of the remnant path. Many will relate even as they read this. Yet God had not forsaken Joseph and even in prison Joseph moved in the supernatural and he found God’s favor. He was able to interpret dreams and visions and this would lead him to see that a great famine was coming upon the land. He was able to make provisions that would save “A Remnant in the earth.”
Can you see the pattern behind this brothers and sisters? Can you relate to the suffering and the rejection and the seeming forsakeness that Joseph surely felt as he languished in the prison, far from home and separated from everything he knew? The pattern is that when there is great judgment coming upon the land, God has a people or a person whom He will send ahead to enable whoever will, to escape that judgment. God has created such a vehicle in His remnant. And they too, just like Joseph, must be despised and rejected by the very one’s they have been sent to save. Of course, this is the divine pattern. We see our Lord Jesus walk down this path. He came from the glories of heaven and the right hand of the Father, emptying Himself and humbling Himself in order to walk amongst those who He had come to save, yet He became despised and reject, tortured and killed.
And now with the final judgment fast approaching, the ark which Jesus has been building for 2000 years is almost ready. God’s remnant church from every possible background and across all denominational lines ( artificial walls built by men and not by God) down through the last 2000 years have been scorned, ridiculed hated and despised and hunted down and killed and almost all of this was done by ” their own.” Their own being people who would profess God with their lips but their hearts are far from Him. Yet God in His mercy will reach out and continue to reach out through His Body while there is yet life in them. A witness until the very end. A faithful Body and a people without excuse.
The Body of Christ is everywhere. It is in every village, every town , every city and every nation on the earth. There are countless millions of Gods own children around the world. For the most part they are swallowed up in Christendom with its multiplicity of divisions and man made walls. Yet, the closer to Christ’s return the more and more difficulty the Body of Christ will find within the dwelling places and kingdoms of men. Could a saint really stay within the confines of any organisation that has corrupted itself with the world? This will be the ever increasing pressure that will be brought to bear on the saints in the coming days. Only the individual saint can answer this question for his her self. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit must be a lamp unto our feet. Too many men’s discernment comes from what other men have spoken. As the darkness increases our need for the light that shines forth from the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit who gives us not only revelation but inspiration only becomes greater and greater.
We have a God who will never leave us nor forsake us. We must trust Him with our whole hearts. No matter how scary things become, in fact because of what is to come, we must trust Him with our whole hearts and follow His lead even if we cannot see the bigger picture. The Word of God and His doctrines were written to be understood by even the simplest among us, in fact God delights in confounding the wise by the simple. The doctrines of men are generally complicated and confusing. Stay with the Word, lean upon the Holy Spirit for understanding and insight and revelation of Christ’s glory and do all of this with your whole heart and you will not go far wrong. He did not leave us as orphans, praise God, we have a Father in heaven whom we can call Abba and He will lead and guide His children through not only good times but through the darkest valleys and the narrowest portions of the path that leads back home.
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A Call To The Remnant 