Attitudes and division of nations have already become “set” as a result of events that have been occurring there over the past couple of years. With nations now “set” on their final course, depending on God’s perfect timing, anything can quickly lead into that catalyst (or excuse) to enter that third and final world war.
The fulfillment of prophetic events is currently in the process of being brought back full circle to 2008. What did not happen then is now closing in again. This time, it is fully about a far greater fulfillment of the First Trumpet. Although that sound and warning occurred on December 14, 2008, the economic devastation of that blast was only beginning to be made manifest (brought to light) to the world. The destruction of a worldwide economic collapse was “held back” until a “final witness” could be established in God’s Church and in the world’s response to God’s final warnings through His Church.
Who listened? Who took warning? Who repented? The answer to that is the witness! Now the world is quickly nearing a second, more profound illumination and realization of the effects of that First Trumpet.
The reason the Second Trumpet has not yet sounded is that the First Trumpet is yet to be made more fully manifest ¬– the escalation of worldwide economic destruction that will bring an end to the reign and power of the U.S. Dollar.
The Transition Magnified
We in God’s Church had believed that Christ’s coming would be Pentecost of 2012, and then we learned God had more to reveal about “that day” of Pentecost and that Christ would not return on that literal day. It was given to us that this was a “prophetic” Day of the Eternal. As God’s Church has long understood that the “Day of the Eternal” is an actual year in length, we responded to this “prophetic day” by concluding that this was about the “time” of God’s long prophesied vengeance (administration of judgment) upon the scattered modern day nations of Israel.
Our focus then changed to Pentecost of 2013 as the day of Christ’s return, but neither was that the literal day for the coming of our Messiah. God revealed why He allowed us to believe these dates as the literal, physical dates of Christ’s coming (covered in the series of posts, “An Extraordinary 4 1/2 Years”). We learned that there is a “dual” fulfillment to the “Day of the Lord.” Although God’s Church has long understood there is much duality in prophetic fulfillment, it never saw the duality of this special “prophetic Day of God.” The first half of that dual fulfillment was accomplished upon God’s Church by Pentecost of 2013. There is yet a second (dual) and final fulfillment to be accomplished upon the scattered nations of Israel.
We have covered some of this before, but it all bears repeating so that we maintain a keen focus upon what God is doing and how He is doing it. It is also important that we keep these things in context of what God continues to expound upon for us. As we were being blessed with a great deal of growth through this period of time (Pentecost of 2012 to Pentecost of 2013), God’s people were strengthened in faith and deeper understanding that God is in full (total, complete) control of the transition from man’s age of self-rule (Satan’s reign) to His age of the Millennial reign of His Son.
Throughout this Feast season, God’s Church had been experiencing this transition on a spiritual plane as most have experienced a unity and closeness that has continued to grow stronger and stronger. It is an experience that is awesome to see and understand. Even though it has not been fully put (fit) together in the minds of everyone, this Feast was never-the-less grasped as deeply meaningful because of the “focus” of the sermons and how God and Christ organized it all. It has been “an important transition” in itself.
God has magnified that He and His Son give the spiritual food that is timely and needed for His Church, as many have observed and commented upon in letters and ministerial reports. I especially like the way one minister stated it when he was describing what God was giving through the new speakers at this year’s Feast: “Everybody was impressed with what the guys were given in the sermons. Naturally, people had sermons that touched them more than others, but everyone knows it was all from God and the guys were just the ‘sound system’ He used.” That is a good perspective for everyone to have – for those who deliver sermons and those who listen.
Many have commented on the strong focus that was upon the Millennium and the work that is now before us once it is established. When explaining how God had inspired such a unified message through a variety of speakers, another minister stated that she thought the message was very much like God saying, “I’ve prepared you for this, now be prepared for the future.” All this is so very exciting as God has revealed that (as stated in the last post), as a whole, we have now been fully prepared for the Millennium. Once it arrives, then there will be much planning and preparation that will engulf our lives for the work of changing this world.
We have been experiencing some of the final transition in God’s Church from one age to another. God has been putting the finishing touch upon those who are to be changed at Christ’s coming and moving the rest toward taking on far greater roles in example, service, and work they will be thrust into as the Millennium is established.
An Exciting Transition
One last area that is a large part of this transition from man’s age to the age of God’s reign which God’s Church is “experiencing” is one that is personally very exciting to me. It has much to do with what God has been leading His Church to “see” and begin living over the past few years. This transition has actually been spearheaded (put into action) and is being lived by my wife, Laura. God has been revealing to us about the lifting of great bondage that has been upon women over the past 6,000 years.
This phase of transition actually began when God revealed that one of the “two witnesses” of this end-time would be a woman – my wife. This indeed has been exciting as it also magnifies the importance of “family” in God’s great plan of Elohim. In Elohim, there is neither male nor female. In the Millennium, women will be esteemed in a far more meaningful, purer, and uplifting manner just as God intends it to be.
Once it was revealed that Laura was one of God’s end-time witnesses, mockers of what God is doing had their laughs and their moment of condemnation. Some responded by ridicule saying “how convenient” this was for me having my wife as the other witness. The truth is that it has indeed been convenient and a great blessing from God that we have been able to share such an experience together within God’s great plan that He is working out.
Since she did not give sermons or write posts, while it was also stated that God had made me the spokesman of both, some mockingly referred to her as the “silent witness.” Yet as a long time friend of hers pointed out, such people obviously do not know her.
This also reminds me of the government’s treatment of her role in the ministry that God gave to both of us as a team in His Church to serve His people, as she was portrayed as a “jetsetter” that liked to travel the world with me. With such a portrayal, the conclusion created from this was that all her travel expenses over a period of several years were actually “personal income” and not a legitimate Church expense. This was by far the single greatest Church expense brought into question that was deemed by them as “personal income” on which they said taxes should have been paid. Yet Laura has always been half of this ministry, even as husband and wife teams had always been recognized and accounted as such in the ministry of the Worldwide Church of God even though women were not ordained into the ministry at that time.
Laura and I have always shared in what we have been given by God to serve His people. On all trips, she has done far more counseling and giving of guidance and encouragement to people than I have. She has never been “silent,” but gifted by God to “bring out” people (help them to open up about their battles and struggles in life) and then help them by what she has spoken. Now she is being thrust forward even more due to the added load she must carry, and the Church recognizes more fully how God is using her as she speaks to congregations (not in sermons) and to the ministry about what is happening within God’s Church and what God is doing in our lives. She is doing this in all the locations where she is traveling as we are continuing to serve church areas as always with scheduled visits. In two locations this Feast season, she not only addressed the ministry, but both congregations that had gathered together at these sites.
It is a powerful encouragement to the Church, witnessing how God is working so much more through women. Women are in the process of being freed from great bondage in both the world and in the Church. Laura’s workload is becoming more visible, especially as she is continuing in a worldwide visiting program to help lead and teach the ministry as well as guide and encourage brethren in those areas.
The things in which God has been doing through one of His prophets and His other “witness” has been a living transition for the Church and will serve as an incredible encouragement for those who will live in the Millennium. Another part that can be seen in this growing transition with women serving in far greater roles was in the administration over three Feast of Tabernacles sites by women who are senior elders.
We live in exciting times as God has already started working “in” the Church in a very powerful manner to make a great transition from one age to another. God is giving us the blessing and awesome opportunity to share this experience with Him and His Son, who is not being delayed in His coming.