The 1st Thunder: RECOGNITION

Recognition is a very powerful and important word! To exercise recognition of something is to acknowledge its existence, to notice and identify, to verify and perceive its purpose, to form a mental reproduction, and to comprehend with remembrance. Lurking directly behind the absence of recognition is mankind’s most vaunted enemy…. Ignorance!

By far the most notable absence of recognition in mankind’s history was in the case of our promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. Why was the perfect love, wisdom and knowledge of Jesus overlooked by the vast majority, in favor of the nonsensical teachings of men? Men of that time period were guilty of this, even to the point of killing the chief agent of life! (Acts 3:15)

The few men that did follow Jesus had to do something that is seldom considered by most people in our day. The followers of Christ had to heed the words of John the Baptist, and repent or change their thinking regarding their previous teachings and traditions, and walk away from them. Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever.” With this fact in mind, we should discern the follow up scriptures of that chapter very intently. Regardless of what bible translation we observe, they all use the phrases “outside the gate,” and “outside the camp.” Most people do not realize these phrases are used as metaphors for being outside the walls of men designed worship. If you have never thoroughly examined these phrases, read these few scriptures that confirm the problems many good people encounter “in the gate.” (Amos 5:10) (Psalms 69:12, 21, 25) (Micah 2:13) (Isaiah 28:5-9)

After considering the context of these scriptures, we should be highly aware of what the bible really means when it refers to being “in or outside the gate.” This prepares us to have a very clear understanding of something Jesus did that is never acknowledged from today’s altars.

Hebrews 13:9,10,12,13 reveals that Jesus moved himself outside the gates of that day’s traditional worship, and how we should go to him today!
“Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by foods, since those involved in them have not benefited.”
“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.”

“Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify the people by his own blood.”

“Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing his disgrace.”

This is telling us that we should carefully discern the spiritual food our religions are feeding us! If Jesus had to remove himself from the gates of men’s traditional teachings, will we have to do the same? Can we please men and be a servant of Christ at the same time? Galatians 1:10 answers that question for us. “For I do now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
Let’s allow God’s word to point out some facts that all people “in the gate” should consider. (Colossians 2:8, 21, 22) “Look out: perhaps there may be someone who will carry you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ.” “Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch, respecting things that are all destined to destruction by being used up, in accordance with the commands and teachings of men! Those very things are indeed, possessed of an appearance of wisdom in a self-imposed form of worship and mock humility.”

This is describing the things that not only forced Jesus to teach outside the gate…. but these are also the very things that confront every person in today’s world! Jesus recognized the deceptive lies of men…. if we desire to be a footstep follower of Christ, we need to do the same. We shouldn’t be surprised at the anger encountered when exposing lies that people have believed their entire lives! You will discover that most religious people are primarily followers, not diligent truth seekers. They will push aside real truth and stick to their traditions. In other words they will strain at the gnat, and continue to gulp down the camel! (Matthew 23:24)          

As Amos 5:10 states: In the gate, a speaker of perfect things, or a reprover, will be hated today, just as Jesus was 2000 years ago. (Luke 4:28, 29) “All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.”
As we consider the many problems Jesus encountered at the hands of self-righteous men, we need to realize there was a man prior to him, whose life was very similar to his. The 11th son of Jacob was a man named Joseph. Many people know the story of Joseph, but as with all the other similes and visions of the prophets, (Hosea 12:10) few understand its prophetic purpose. By looking into Joseph’s pattern we will be enlightened to the most urgent need for recognition in our world today!

Joseph, Jacob’s first son with his beloved Rachel, was his father’s favorite son. Joseph’s inspired insight, combined with Jacob’s constant exaltation, irritated his older brothers to the point of enraged jealousy. They continually ostracized him and devised a plan to remove him from their camp. (Today this would be similar to being excommunicated or disfellowshiped.) They sold him to Ishmaelite slave traders, and told Jacob he had been killed. After the slave traders sold him into Egyptian slavery, the events that would shape Joseph’s ordained destiny began to take place. In Egypt, he was unjustly imprisoned for a period of years. After being exonerated, he was given an Egyptian for a wife, and even though living most of his life in the midst of idolatrous worship, his conviction to the true God never changed. Once his ability to apply sound reasoning to Egypt’s flawed systems was recognized, he was placed in charge of all the food in the land.

Why is the recognition of Joseph’s life so important for us today? ….Because this cast aside, forgotten slave became the interpreter of dreams! The one possessing the insight to understand prophetic visions! The one who stored up food and eventually supplied this life giving food to all the tribes of Israel, at the proper time!
This story is a prototype of the much used scripture at (Matthew 24:45) “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom the master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?”

Since all of the altars of men claim to be this wise servant, let’s examine how they define proper worship. The widely accepted way to please God is to become a member of a religious organization…. If we attend worship services, we have fulfilled our duty to God. Anyone who would challenge this traditional way of thinking would be considered absolutely insane! Taking part in religious activities shows everyone else what a good person we are. If a person doesn’t go to a church, kingdom hall, or some type of worship cathedral, they need help…. This is the accepted viewpoint in our society today!

But…. what if some or all of today’s institutions teach something that isn’t true? Should we blindly accept every teaching simply because our parents did? Is being righteous in the eyes of other people more important than knowing real truth? Are you the type of person content to casually follow along with men’s traditional worship? (1st Corinthians 10:12-15) Or……are you a person who has intense love for God and enough genuine interest to really dig in to the scriptures with heartfelt vengeance…. willing to accept nothing but the real truth in God’s amazing word? The sealed up…. end-time word of the 7 thunders has been prophesied to roar again…. specifically for that type of person!

Since all of the altars of men in today’s worship systems, claim to be the wise servant Jesus spoke about at Matthew 24:45, let’s examine some details that will help us to recognize impostors.

One of the primary teachings in all of men’s religions is the absolute necessity of giving them money. Some use more tact than others however this requirement is urgently admonished by all. Would the true faithful and discreet servants constantly fleece their flocks by accusing them of robbing God if they don’t hand over their money? Instead of twisting Malachi 3:8 to line their pockets, maybe our priestly leaders (the subjects of this similitude) should back up and observe Malachi 3:5. Are their flocks the ones who are defrauding laborers of their wages? This is certainly not the case, so just who are the real robbers? Daniel 11:14 identifies the actual robbers! “The robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.”

Micah 6:6-8 explains that God does not require any kind of monetary payment or money from His people. Your leaders are the ones who have this need! Verse 8 tells us exactly what God requires from us. “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doeth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”

These scriptures completely nullify the basic teachings heard from all the altars of men. Their requirements of attendance, membership and money are for their benefit…. the Word of God, or Jesus Christ…. is the true mediator, not men! As you read the 7 thunders, this statement will become very clear.

Another way impostors prevent God’s people from having a storehouse of spiritual food is through teachings that apply or use up prophecies before their time for fulfillment. The bible terms this as picking green or unripe grapes. Ezekiel 18:2 says “The fathers eat the unripe grapes, and the children get their teeth set on edge.” At Job 15:31-35 these handed down doctrines are described as giving birth to worthless vanities that prepare deceit for the belly. This problem runs rampant with some who emphatically and very indignantly claim to be “the faithful and discreet slave.” Their green grape picking of Daniel and Revelation’s prophecies cause extreme blindness to the events of the final days.

The end-time gathering of the true spiritual food, like the pattern, will have its beginning while remaining anonymous to God’s people. When Joseph was in Egypt he was given a name that prevented his brothers from knowing who he really was. This name was Zephenath Peneah, meaning preserver of life or savior. (Genesis 41:45) Just like Zephenath Peneah, the real “faithful and discreet slave,” of the final days…. will remain anonymous until the proper time for the consumption of their true spiritual food. These discreet servants will spend several years in secluded positions, while becoming polished arrows, concealed in the quiver of God!

Isaiah 49:2, 6 explains this event of the final days that the world has failed to recognize! “And he proceeded to make my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand he has hidden me. And he gradually made me a polished arrow. He concealed me in his own quiver.” “And he proceeded to say: It has been more than a trivial matter for you to become my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back even the safeguarded ones of Israel. I have also given you for a light to the nations that my salvation may come to the extremity of the earth.”

Let’s be honest, are any of today’s religious leaders in a position of concealment? Even though they bear no resemblance whatsoever to what these scriptures are describing, every altar of man claims to provide this very source of end-time spiritual food. The bible however, says something exactly the opposite, and in no uncertain terms!

In a vision of the last days, Isaiah 17:7, 8 makes a statement that cannot be twisted! “In that day, earthling man will look to his maker and his own eyes will gaze at the holy one of Israel Himself. And he will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and at what his fingers have made he will not gaze, either at the sacred poles or the incense stands.”

Some of our current leaders will say; “We don’t even have groves or asherah poles (steeples) on our buildings, those scriptures are talking about all the other religions, but not ours.”

Regardless of the exalted position some have placed themselves, Amos 9:10 describes a precarious final day predicament even for those God considers to be His people. “By the sword they will die—all the sinners of my people, those who are saying “The calamity will not come near or reach as for as us.”

The prophet Amos, who is telling us many things about the final days of this system, makes yet another statement that many would never believe at Amos 9:1. “I saw Jehovah stationed above the altar, and he proceeded to say; “Strike the pillar head, so that thresholds will rock. And cut them off at the head, all of them.”

Even though this statement is undeniable, their next argument would be, “Well, the prophets are not referring to us, they’re talking about ancient events.”

This statement or excuse, denies the very reason the prophets spoke! The bible’s prophets were not intended to be the mere history lessons the altars of men proclaim them to be.

Through their prophetic stories of ancient times, every event of mankind’s final salvation can be understood! This is exactly why Revelation 10:7 states that the sacred secret of God was told to His slaves the prophets! When we dismiss the prophets as mere history, we are turning our backs to the dynamic and prophetic word of God!

God verifies how He used the prophets at Hosea 12:10. “I have spoken by the prophets, I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.”

The following scriptures emphasize the fact that critical knowledge indeed, abounds in the prophets! (Acts 3:21) (Rev. 10:7) (2nd Peter 3:2) (Romans 15:4) (Zechariah 8:9)
Jesus himself puts this error of the altars into perfect prospective, at (Luke 24:25) “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”

So, are we going to believe the prophet Isaiah’s definite and undeniable statement? ….”The true spiritual food of the last days will not be heard from the altars.” If we do, our logical response would be; “Just where then, will it come from?”

As the pattern of Joseph and the scriptures at Isaiah 49 have revealed; people who will be out of the mainstream of men’s religious activities, unknown and hidden from the eyes of the world, will become teachers of truth…. a voice crying out from the wilderness. This anomaly is re-confirmed at Isaiah 30:20.

“Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.” As God promises at (Jeremiah 3:15) these future teachers will be in agreement with His own heart, and will feed His people with knowledge and insight. This event is put into an end-time prospective throughout the 40th chapter of Isaiah.

Along with Joseph, both Elijah and John the Baptist were prototypes for this obscure and certainly unexpected method that looms in our future. (Malachi 4:5) (Matthew 17:11) (Matthew 11:7-10, 14, 15) Like Elijah and John the Baptist before them, the end-time voice in the wilderness will expose the false teachings of men and proclaim that in order to be a part of God’s promised Kingdom, a repentance that stimulates a turnaround in thinking will be mandatory for all people. (Luke 16:15) (Matthew 15:7-9)

At Acts 17:30 an always disregarded statement is made: “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”

A reformation of beliefs will be difficult to accept by people who have dedicated their lives to what they believe is complete truth. (1st Corinthians 13:9, 10) The many millions who are currently in the gates of men’s religions will be faced with the same dilemma that confronted the ones in the synagogues and temples in Jesus’ day. There will have to be, once again….a recognition! Will they be able to recognize something much less glamorous and ornate than their beautiful churches and world-wide organizations? They will have to decide…. What determines truth?…. Where the words are spoken and Who speaks them…. Or the words…. period? The wrong answer to this very dilemma is why Jesus was killed! (Matthew 23:27, 28, 36) The long awaited Messiah was expected to wear the frilled robes and assume the attitude and position of the temple’s pious leaders. Instead, both Jesus and John the Baptist dressed as commoners and challenged every aspect of the temple leaders.

Like Jesus, the voice in the wilderness will constantly hear indignant questions and statements from pious people everywhere. “Just who do you think you are?” “You are nobody, how could you know the sayings of truth? We already have truth! (Amos 7:12, 13)

Just as He did with Jesus, God will once again, present His ways in a manner that will shock this self-righteous world that feeds on the leavened bread of men. The people He will use will not have royal beginnings or be world renowned. (1st Corinthians 1:26-28) Nor will they be recognized because of occupying traditional grandiose positions. (Matthew 11:25)

Isaiah 66:2 reveals the simple qualities of these future end-time teachers that will explain all the things that have been hidden in the prophets. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

These presently unknown people will sprout up where nothing would seem able to grow. (Isaiah 53:1, 2) (Ezekiel 17:24) They will stand firmly on their love for God (1st Corinthians 8:3) and the irrefutable truth of their free messages. (2nd Corinthians 2:17) (Isaiah 45:13) No one will be asked to pay tithes to receive it! Even though this end-time truth is prophesied to come, it will be scoffed at and shoved aside by most people until the sign of Jonah explodes onto the world scene. No doubt, this statement sounds very strange. (Acts 17:20) How important is the sign of Jonah? Jesus gives us great reason for proper understanding at Matthew 16:4. “A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah. With that he went away leaving them behind.”

The voice in the wilderness will explain the real truth and the impact of this sign of the times, plus many other subjects that have been twisted “in the gate.” (2nd Peter 3:16)

These subjects will include: Zion, Jerusalem, Jacob, Israel, fasting, libation, baptism, exodus, and…. God’s hidden plan of salvation!

Your next thought might be; just how could such insignificant people obtain knowledge that technically educated, highly esteemed religious leaders fail to understand?

At Isaiah 43:19-21 God challenges the world to recognize something He will do in the final part of the days.

“Look! I am doing something new. Now it will spring up. You people will know it, will you not? Really, through the wilderness I shall set a way. I shall have given water even in the wilderness, to cause my people, my chosen one to drink. The people whom I have formed for myself, that they should recount the praise of me.”

Since we have talked a lot about the voice in the wilderness, and now see that God will set a way, and even give water in the wilderness, we absolutely must discern exactly what the bible means when it uses the word wilderness.

As we know, this part of the bible was originally written in Hebrew. The Hebrew word that English translators rendered as “wilderness” was “midbar.” The Hebrew language is much richer and more complex than English. One English word cannot adequately define one Hebrew word. You have to know the root words and how they are related to get the full meaning of a Hebrew word. This is not a simple task and many original true meanings were lost because of simple basic direct translations. In order to get a complete and accurate understanding of the original intent of the phrase, “the voice in the wilderness,” we need to examine the word midbar in its original Hebrew context.

The basic meaning of midbar is: That which is beyond organized settlements and traditional civilized norms. Not hemmed in by rules; a place of spiritual renewal.

The complexity of the Hebrew language begins to take further shape when you consider the meanings of midbar’s root words. In the verbal sense…. dabar: meaning to speak, or teach by mouth; where the mouth of God speaks. In the noun sense…. debir: meaning place of the word.

B’midbar means: in the wilderness…. a wild, untamed and unorganized place, where one would be stripped of all outside noises and distractions…. with armor down, heart open, fully hearing, open to the unexpected and uncharted!

As these Hebrew definitions clearly show, the end-time “voice in the wilderness” will come from people that will be called out of structured organizations into solitary positions. (Psalms 81:7) There God’s word can speak to them unadulterated, without having to uphold, or be influenced by any of men’s organizations or their handed down doctrines.

Once these called out ones, whom God has chosen from among all mankind…. are in the wilderness setting…. they will fast on the leavened bread of men, and feast on the unleavened bread that represents the flesh of Jesus, and drink the new wine that represents his blood. They will no longer just repeat the ceremony as others do…. they will actually carry out what the evening meal of Christ really stood for! John 6:50-58 explains how this feast on the word of God will be necessary in order to gain everlasting life. We should now understand exactly what the over used and misconstrued phrase….“accepting or taking Jesus into our heart”…. really means!

“The called out ones” is the true definition of the Greek word, ecclesia. Our English translations have rendered the word ecclesia as “church” or “congregation.” These very misleading replacements have allowed the altars of men to confuse the bible’s true meaning to an amazing extent. One of the most abused bad renderings has been the word church. The very institutions that the true ecclesia has been called out of…. are now declared to be the true ecclesia. This irony has played a major role in fulfilling the many scriptures that have prophesied about the darkness that would become prevalent throughout the world. (Isaiah 5:13, 20, 21) (Hosea 4:1, 6)

So who really is the faithful and discreet slave who will have the end-time knowledge to lead people straight to our God? (Isaiah 40:3-5) Do the ones who make the claim fit the criteria of the midbar? Let’s consider a few more topics that will help us to properly recognize the many impostors. Have any of today’s leaders explained God’s sacred secret that is described throughout the prophets? In Revelation 10:7 most of our English translations use the words sacred secret, or mystery. These English words have been used to replace the original Greek word musterion. This will be mentioned here because, even though presently understood by very few, God’s musterion will become the most important factor in all of our lives, and the most wonderful event in the history of mankind! (Jeremiah 33:12) (John 6:45) (Daniel 12:3, 4) (Isaiah 65:18)

The complex Greek definition of musterion is: The thought or plan of God which is hidden from the world and kept secret to ordinary eyes, awaiting fulfillment or revelation at the appointed time, for those whom it is intended.

A musterion is something quite unintelligible to the uninitiated but made crystal clear to the initiated by only, divine revelation.

This is another example where the original intent of a scripture has been muddled through the use of English words that cannot adequately represent words of the much richer original languages. All of these definitions can be confirmed by anyone who desires to search them out. This can be done by simply typing in a question on your computer. Some sources are more explicit than others however the gist is very consistent.

Another extremely important end time event our current leaders are unable to inform us about is in the 29th chapter of Isaiah. Properly understanding the true meaning of this chapter is greatly aided by discerning the word Ariel. This very complex word has 6 Hebrew root meanings. Amazingly all 6 play a part in recognizing Ariel’s unique identity, and its future role in mankind’s salvation. You will hear the thunder that will explain this extremely cryptic prophecy…. at the proper time. It will roar like the lion of God! (Rev. 10:3) (Isa. 31:4) “Woe to Ariel!” “Woe to Ariel!”

If our self-appointed faithful and discreet slave is unable to understand God’s musterion, they certainly can’t warn us about the coming catastrophe to Ariel. (Matthew 21:21) And if our leaders do not warn their listeners about Ariel, many of their followers could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. What you don’t know, can hurt you. (Hosea 4:6)

Can our exalted leaders answer the always overlooked question posed in the last part of Jeremiah 9:12?

“What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the LORD and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no man can cross?”

If they cannot explain the future purpose God has for the lands He will ruin,    (Ezekiel 36:33) then you will know your faithful and wise servants are in the deep sleep that has been prophesied to occur at Isaiah 29:10-12. When the events Jesus warned us about in the 24th chapter of Matthew begin to take place, the answer to this question will hold the key…. to remaining in the tribulation or escape! (Luke 21:36) (Hebrews 2:3)

If you have found these few mentioned topics intriguing…. Turn away from the intoxicated teachings….“in the gate!” (Isaiah 28:6-8) Move away from the breast and wean yourself from the milky repetitious teachings of men! (Isaiah 28:9) Eat the tough meat, be an Eagle! (Job 39:27-30) For in the last days, as Jesus foretold at Matthew 24:28, “The Eagles will be gathered at the carcass.” There you can eat the spiritual food that will prepare you and your loved ones for all the events that will take place immediately preceding the rule of God’s Kingdom!

Listen…. to the one who died, so we may live at John 16:12, 13. “I have many things yet to say to you, but you are not able to bear them at present.”

“However, when that true one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own impulse, but what things he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things coming.”

How important is it that we recognize this spirit of truth that Jesus said would eventually arrive and guide us into all the truth? At Matthew 12:31 Jesus stated that “Every sort of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”

There is only one time period and one way for people to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. That time period is during the final days of this system, when the spirit of truth arrives! (All the details of this prophesied event will be explained by scriptures in the 6th thunder.) When this event takes place we need to be very careful not to reject or speak against what The Holy Spirit is causing to become! There is a reason this may not be as easy as it sounds for the majority of people. As many scriptures have shown, this truth will not come from the expected sources!

According to John 16:8 these never before heard teachings will consist of convincing evidence concerning the broad subjects of sin, righteousness and judgment. To reject this spirit-driven truth that will reveal God’s hidden plan of salvation…. will be committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!

Who will eat honey out of a carcass? (Judges 14:8, 9, 14) Who will reside under the majestic cedar…. when the dry tree blossoms? (Ezekiel 17:22-24) Who will hear the Thunder…. when it roars like a lion in the wilderness? (Psalms 29:8)

“Hey there all you thirsty ones, Come to the water! And the ones that have no money! Come, buy and eat even without money and without price.”

“Why do you people keep paying out money for what is not bread?” (Isaiah 55:1, 2)

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