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Hi Saints. The time is coming soon for the great separation that Jesus spoke of in the end times. In fact I believe that it is already in its beginning stages. Now what causes this great separation? How are sheep separated from goats? How are wheat separated from tares? How are the virgins with oil separated from those who have none? We see that in Mat 25:10 Jesus says “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”

We see here in this parable that all of the virgins undoubtedly represent all of Christendom. They are all virgins and they all have lamps and they are all awaiting the return of the Bride-groom and they all slept. Yet, it was they that ” were ready,” that entered in. Do you have oil in your lamp, are you ready? And so we see in this example two broad categories of those who profess the name of Jesus. We have already seen the various names that Jesus used to describe those in the two categories. 1. Sheep and goats. 2. Wheat and tares. 3. Those who are ready and those who are not. So how will these two groups be identified, separated in the end times, in the time of separation/persecution? Well, obviously in the ten virgins parable the one who were ready were the one who had oil in their lamps. They could actually fulfill their purpose by shining their light in the darkness. This oil in the parable is undoubtedly referring to those who have the Spirit of God as opposed to those who do not. Therefore we can conclude that one must be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

This parable of Jesus also shows that it is indeed difficult to tell the difference between the two groups until the time of Christ’s return is imminent. So we can see that there will be a great darkness prior to the return of Jesus and that the true saints of God will be required to shine their lights in this darkness. If one waits to prepare their hearts and minds until the darkness is upon them and the Lord is at the door , then Jesus is clear in what He says, it will be too late. We see the same principles of identification in the example of the wheat and the tares. Now a tare is a weed that looks very much like wheat. It is difficult to tell the two apart. Only as the time of the harvest approaches can one really begin to differentiate between the two.

Lets look at one more Biblical example of separation and identifying one group from another. In Luke 6:47-48 we see two houses. Now with a casual glance, one could never tell what house has a foundation and one does not. Yet, in the story Jesus tells there is a calamity, a flood comes. There is a bursting of the river and after the flood has done its work, after the storm is over, only one house is left standing. It’s the house that dug a deep foundation and placed the house on top of the Rock. The other house is swept away in the flood. So we see that in the parable of the ten virgins that darkness does its work, we see in the example of the wheat and tares that it is harvest time that identifies the weeds and that in the example of the two houses that the storm, the flood does its work in separating and dividing the two broad categories. Will you stand in the coming storm?

So who are the virgins without oil? Who are the tares? Who are the goats? Who are the people whose houses do not have a foundation? Php 3:18-19 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) We see here a group that Paul identifies as ” enemies of the cross of Christ.” It is important to note that these are a group of believers who are ” earthly minded,” who are concerned about the things of this world, people who claim to follow Jesus but specifically reject the ” cross of Christ.” The cross represents suffering and rejection and humiliation, the loss of all things and finally death. And this group of people not only reject the cross of Christ but are enemies.

Earlier in the same chapter we see Paul describe what it means not to be an enemy of the cross of Christ but how to be an embrace of the cross. Gods remnant people will not be earthly minded. They will count all things loss for the ” excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.” To know Jesus more is the heartbeat of the children of God. They want to know HIm and the power of His resurrection. They want to know Him and the fellowship of His sufferings. Brothers and sisters, can you see what is the major identifying factors between the two broad categories of Christendom? One group is an enemy of the cross of Christ and the other group embraces the cross and seeks fellowship with Jesus in His sufferings so that they may know Him more. One counts it all joy to enter into His sufferings and the other despises the notion of suffering and dying, especially the death of the cross.

In Matt 16 we see Peter making a bold declaration by revelation. He says ” You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Yet, when Jesus tells the disciples that He must suffer and die, Peter rejects this. And right away Jesus says to him ” Get thee behind me Satan.” You see, there is no place given to those who reject the message of the cross. It is not enough to identify Jesus as the Son of God, you must embrace the cross. You must bow your knee to the things of God and to His will and not to your flesh or the things of men and this world. Jesus specifically says that in order to follow Him you must deny your flesh, deny self, take up your cross and follow Him. To lose your life is to gain eternal life. So who was the Peter that rejected the cross? He was a brave man, passionate, bold, willing to die for the cause. He was willing to fight and die for the cause but he was not willing to die for the cross. He was unbroken. Now we know how Peter’s story ends praise the Lord. How will your story end?

In the 3rd Chapter of Malachi we see a prophecy of the end days. We see a coming refining fire. And the question asked is ” Who may abide in the day of His coming?” ” Who will stand when He appears?” Who will yield to and embrace the refining fire that Christ sends? Peter had to be broken, he had to walk through His own refining fire. Have you been broken? You know that this fire is for the priests in that day. Brothers and sisters we are the priests of a royal priesthood. There is a coming fire, can you embrace it? Can you count the cost now? You see, there is a fault line that runs through Christendom. When the shaking begins and the fault line begins to open up, what side of the fault line will you find yourself on? On the one side are those who embrace the cross of Christ, who mind not the things of this world but who mind the things of the world to come. And on the other side are those who are ” enemies of the cross of Christ,” whose minds are set on the things of this world. As Christ moves ever closer to coming back, the divide will grow ever greater. The gap between the two groups will become more and more apparent as the shaking increases. Now is the time to bridge the gap and be counted on the side of those who embrace the cross. There will come a time when this gap will be too great to cross. Make your stand now under the shadow of Calvary’s cross.