Oh, What a Day!

Saturday, May 11, 2013, 7:47 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “He Keeps Me Singing” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Zechariah 6 (NIV):

I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black, the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?”

The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.

Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north.”

The word of the Lord came to me: “Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jozadak. Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.”

An Awakening

God is going to judge and he is presently judging the people of this world via these divine instruments of judgment. I believe the US government/military and their allies are his present divine instruments of judgment on this world. Collectively they comprise the New World Order (the beast or a precursor to the beast). I believe scripture teaches that God will judge his adulterous and idolatrous church at this time, as well (see all of Isaiah; Rev. 2-3).

I’m quoting from “A Charley Horse” (based off Zechariah 5): “The house that the scroll will enter, it appears, is the house of the adulterous church. The message is not merely written, nonetheless, for it is followed by the judgment that it declared. That takes me back to my “charley horse” from this morning. The cramp was in the calf (idolatry) of my leg (branch of the church). If you have ever had a “charley horse” cramp before, you will understand that it is one of the most painful cramps you can ever get, and it completely disables you from doing anything else until it subsides. I believe the Lord is using this cramp as a symbol of the judgment he will bring upon his idolatrous church, with the end result that the church will definitely be wakened, as I was wakened, only not physically, but spiritually.”

I’m quoting here from “This Will Happen,” dated 4/14/12 (based off Zechariah 6): Then “God is going to judge the nations that have come against God’s people in deceiving the followers of Christ with so many lies that lead them away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ. And, I believe he is going to use parts of those nations, which have joined forces with the New World Order, to turn on their own people in warfare, too. I can’t help but see this dappled horse(s) as representing a blend of religions and government into one global order of government and religion. When the beast rules and God turns his saints over to him, that will mean deliverance for his saints, in reality, for truly their greatest opposition to the building of Christ’s church is deception, and when the church is judged and persecuted and killed for their faith in Christ, then eyes will be opened and they will be delivered out of the hands of their deceivers, even through death, for they will be free through acceptance and acknowledgment of the truth. God will have to judge his church in order to bring her back into a right relationship with him.”

A Crown 

(Taken in part from “This Will Happen”)

The crown for Joshua is symbolic of Jesus Christ’s kingdom reign as both priest and king. Joshua was called the branch, and the branch is another name for Jesus Christ. Christ will branch out (and is branching out), because his followers are His Body, and we come from him, and through us and our witness for him he branches out into the entire world. The prophecy in Isaiah 61 concerning Jesus Christ, our Messiah, also applies to us, because we are his servants, the Lord’s anointed, his messengers, and his representatives. His ministry continues through us, if we are willing and obedient.

Christ is ultimately the one who builds his church and he is the one who will complete his church, but we work with him in the building of the church (not physical buildings, but people’s lives) through sharing Christ’s love with people, and through the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ, telling people that they need to turn from their sins and turn to faith in Jesus Christ (see Luke 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24); and through edifying the church by serving as the parts of the body God intended for us, and by using the spiritual gifts he has placed within us for the building up of his church. Many people from all nations will come to Christ and will join in building Christ’s church when we branch out as God intended, i.e. “This will happen if you diligently obey the LORD your God.”

Jesus Christ will complete this temple, his body, the church, when he returns for his bride. This is when our salvation will be completely realized. At this time he will set up his kingdom reign and rule on the earth for a period of a thousand years, and we will reign and rule with him. In the meanwhile, we need to be about the work of rebuilding Christ’s church, by being Christ’s hands and feet in taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, and by demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ to all he brings into our lives. And, we need to pray for revival of our nation(s) and of the church in our nation(s), because so many are deceived and actively believe the lies of the enemy. We need to proclaim freedom to the captives and release from prison for those who walk in darkness (see Is. 61).

In good times and bad, we should not fear what may come our way, but we should rest in Jesus Christ and be at peace in knowing that he is control and he has allowed everything that comes our way for our ultimate good. He never promised us that we would live smooth lives free from trouble or hardship. Sometimes he will lead us through some pretty dark valleys, and other times on glorious mountain tops (glad for those). Yet, he is in all things. And, one day soon, I believe, he is going to return for his bride and take us to be with him forever. “Oh, what a glorious day that will be when my Jesus I shall see…”

He Keeps Me Singing / Luther B. Bridgers

There's within my heart a melody

Jesus whispers sweet and low:

Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,

In all of life's ebb and flow.

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,

Discord filled my heart with pain;

Jesus swept across the broken strings,

Stirred the slumbering chords again.

Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,

Trials fall across the way,

Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,

See his footprints all the way.

Feasting on the riches of his grace,

Resting neath his sheltering wing,

Always looking on his smiling face,

That is why I shout and sing.

Soon he's coming back to welcome me

Far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;

I shall reign with him on high.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,

Sweetest name I know,

Fills my every longing,

Keeps me singing as I go.