In the 4th chapter of Ephesians, the apostle Paul gives us an enlightening picture of events that will take place before The Kingdom of God begins to rule this earth. (Luke 1:33) He admonishes the importance of being rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. Only God Himself knows when an individual genuinely possesses that love! (1st Samuel 16:7) That genuine love will be the common bond of the real church (ecclesia) of Christ when its imminent birth begins!!! (Revelation 12) These are ones now being called out of the darkness of men’s teachings, into the light of Christ’s truth! (Should we think God would begin to make such an important calling without giving us a sign from heaven? (Genesis 1:14) (Luke 21:25) (Isaiah 13) (Amos 3:7) Darkness to Light…. Coming Soon…. be on the watch!!!)
The exclusive knowledge of Christ’s resurrected truth will be the uniting factor of God’s people, preparing them for life under His Kingdom’s rule! Each one of these individuals will perform a role in the teaching of the same end-time gospel or good news of the Kingdom, spoken of at Matthew 24:14. Ephesians 4:12-16 leaves no doubt that before this end-time truth will have a saturating impact, a realization of men’s false teachings must first take place!
“To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and knowledge in the son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ.” “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
The cunning craftiness and deceitful scheming of men have convinced the entire religious world that becoming a part of the body of Christ requires a physical presence under the tutelage of their organized gatherings. The fact is; it has nothing to do with men’s approval or physically attending anything, it’s a spiritual relationship between an individual and God, through the truth represented by Jesus Christ! (Ephesians 4:21-24)
So regardless of which religion of man anyone chooses to believe, they have all picked unripe grapes by using prophecies before their time for fulfillment. They have all exalted themselves above God by boasting of their future heavenly positions! (Romans 10:6) (2nd Thessalonians 2:4) (Matthew 23:13) These are decisions only God Himself will make, (Romans 9:11, 16) at the proper time…. After the work of preparing His people for life under His Kingdom’s rule is accomplished! (Daniel 12:3) That work will not start until Ephesians 1:10 begins fulfillment. When people begin to gather to the exclusive knowledge of Christ’s truth during the full limit of the appointed times, something dynamically incredible will begin to occur. As explained in Ephesians 1:13, the promised spiritual baptisms by Christ will begin!
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”
Paul then states the results of being sealed with the promised Holy Spirit or being spiritually baptized, at Ephesians 4:4-6.
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
The original resurrection of Christ symbolized the most important event of the times we are now living! This is why Ephesians 4:9 asks the question; “What does his descending into the lower parts of the earth and his eventual ascending into heaven really mean?”
Anyone who is sincerely interested in the exclusive knowledge of the truth in Christ should listen closely. Remember this fact: Jesus never said anything that didn’t have deep meaning and great importance. However, he always used parables, or symbolic illustrations, especially when addressing the scribes and Pharisees.
At Matthew 12:38 these haughty religious leaders told him they wanted to see a sign from him. In reply he said; “A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.”
He then described several situations that very intelligently reveal vital events of the end-times! The scribes and Pharisees had no idea what he was talking about, likewise the religious leaders of today have proven to be just as dumbfounded. If you asked 10 different religions what the sign of Jonah meant, you’d probably get 10 different, very vague answers.
The first parable Jesus used, is aimed straight at the heart of today’s religious leaders! It reveals an end-time fact they could never concede possible or ever accept, as it would jeopardize their livelihoods.
He said; “Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish 3 days and 3 nights, so will the son of man be in the heart of the earth.” It’s hard to imagine this very subtle statement could be a dagger in the heart of this world’s religious empire, but it is!
This is about a resurrection or restoration of the very thing Jesus represented, Truth! There is nothing that will expose a lie like the sound reasoning of truth, which is why Jesus was so hated, just as the end-time truth will be.
During the full limit of the appointed times, or being more precise…. When the first seal is opened…. The Truth that died off and was buried by men’s teachings after the death of Christ…. will rise up out of its grave and begin a ride across the earth!!! This exclusive knowledge of God’s hidden salvation plan in Christ will eventually impact the men of Nineveh, causing them to repent or turn their lives completely around. Who are the men of Nineveh? They represent people today who seldom think about God. However, when times hard to deal with begin, they will realize the warnings in Christ’s resurrected Truth are valid, and also realize that God’s plan of salvation offers a great life for their families. These are the people God referred to when He said; “Those not My people, will become My people!”…. So yes indeed, something greater than Jonah is here!
The real meaning of the next symbolic illustration Jesus gave has also stumped our religious leaders. Most bible readers will just skip over it, thinking it’s probably not real important. But as we will see, it explains the actions and salvation of yet another type of people in our world today.
Jesus said; “The queen of the south will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the Wisdom of Solomon.”
The phrase; “the queen of the south” represents people who have the rarest and most valued of all qualities, genuine love! They have fire in their bones for The Father, the son, and their fellowman. Why did Jesus refer to them as a queen? What is a queen to her king…. she’s his bride. These people represent The Bride of Christ!!! They’re seekers… they’re interested in the Word of God. They study…. they seek understanding and cherish it! They are very different than the many who claim to love Jesus but never take the time to actually study God’s Word. When the resurrected truth (The Wisdom of Solomon) hits the world scene…. these sincere people will flock to it from the ends of the earth…. and bring their gift of love to the King! They will become teachers of The Word!
“And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes will see your teachers.” (Isaiah 30:20) As Jesus said, something more than Solomon is here!
In the final parable Jesus spoke at that time, he talked about the state of a man when an unclean spirit leaves him, but proceeds to come back into him seven fold. They enter and dwell in what Jesus symbolically called; an empty, swept and put in order house. He then said, “The last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it be with the end-time generation.”
This parable is an illustration of the unforgivable act of sinning against the Holy Spirit! Jesus had just spoke about this immediately before the scribes and Pharisees asked him for a sign, hence the inclusion of the parable.
It applies to yet another type of people in our day, actually the vast majority. These are people who live clean lives by the world’s standards. They abide by the laws, are upstanding citizens in their communities, they go to church regularly and from a traditional perspective are considered to be very good and devout people. So how could this type of person sin against the Holy Spirit? We must not forget, Jesus is talking about events during the final days of this system, when the Holy Spirit becomes active. The harvest of the wheat and the weeds will begin when the truth of salvation in Christ arrives! (John 16:13) This will be guided by the Holy Spirit!
The cold hard fact is; many seemingly devout people will not change their thinking! They will stick to the accepted ways of this world and reject the truth driven by the Holy Spirit! (Matthew 13:13) This is why Jesus commented about people who were thought to be good, in his explanation of the unforgivable sin. He said; “Offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are wicked? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)
Many people in this world appear to be good, but recognizing and putting the truth driven by the Holy Spirit into your heart…. is the great dividing line. This is how the wheat will be separated from the weeds!
As end-time events occur, more and more people will become interested in that Spirit driven truth. At the present time something else is going on that has been prophesied to take place many times in the bible. Before that truth will have a major impact, an awakening must occur! As we speak, people are asleep! Why? Because there is no immediate urgency!
God’s people are presently in the same deep sleep as Jonah was before he was thrown overboard. Before most people will wake up they will have to be thrown overboard into that same confusion of the watery deep! Currently, most are still very much occupied with everyday life and quite content in their worship. However, when the prophesied destructive events to men’s religions begin, that will change! With weeds wrapped around their heads, and their backs to the wall, many will awaken and begin to search for God and His true ways. Only then will the Spirit driven truth become a focus.
When we understand the many end-time facts revealed in the sign of Jonah, it becomes evident why Jesus said it would be the only sign given. Every step of how God’s people will be separated, united and prepared for His Kingdom’s rule is related to us in this “sign of our times.”
There are actually many other stories and visions explaining how people will be asleep, immediately before the Spirit driven truth causes an awakening to occur. The 4th chapter of Zechariah gives us a perfect description of the very moment we are now living!
“Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I said, “I am looking and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps, with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left.”
What does all of this mean? This is exactly how it will soon take place. In this similitude or vision, the Holy Spirit has caused an awakening to truth! The one awakened from sleep immediately sees the solid gold lampstand containing the end-time word of the LORD! The seven lamps are aglow with the new light of truth and the seven pipes represent the means of how the thunderous precepts of that new light will go forth. The bowl shows it will be like a nourishing meal served to all who will sit at its table. As the chapter goes on to explain, the two olive trees represent the ones serving this meal of new light to the people. They will bring forth the plummet line of truth, symbolically referred to as “The Capstone.” Eventually the capstone will be welcomed with shouts of grace to it! What will cause God’s awakened people to rejoice in His truth?
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says The LORD. (Zechariah 4:6)
As Jesus explained; the rejection of the truth the Holy Spirit is causing to become in these latter days, will create a sinful situation no one wants to experience! When the storm of the tribulation hits, we certainly do not want to be fast asleep on a boat heading down to Tarshish! We would all agree, it would be much better to wake up now and recognize the Spirit driven truth that will put us on the latter day Ark! The following scriptures speak directly to our current time period.
“But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever is made manifest is light.” “Therefore he says: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:13-17)
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to wake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:11, 12)
WAKE UP O’ SLEEPERS…. THE PLUMMET LINE IS SWINGING…. THE SEVEN LAMPS ARE SHINING…. THE GOLDEN OIL IS DRIPPING……… NOW IS THE TIME TO SHOUT GRACE TO THE CAPSTONE!!!!