The Coming Storm . . . Cleansing the Temple . . . WHO WILL STAND ?

 Revelation 3:18

I+ counsel thee to buy of ME+ gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

The Portrayed ONE+ #2 ... Our REFINER+.... Advent Meditations 2015

The Refining Pot

The Coming ONE+, greatly longed-for and desired,  was portrayed in the last book of the Old Testament as the REFINER+ of His+ Priests... the REFINER+ of HIS+ Ecclesia, His+ Called-Out ones.

Malachi 3:2-3

3:2 But who may abide the day of HIS+ Coming? and who shall stand when HE+ appeareth? for HE+ is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:

3:3 And HE+ shall sit as a REFINER and PURIFIER of silver:

and HE+ shall purify the Sons of Levi,

and purge them as gold and silver,

that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

In the Old Testament, Our LORD JESUS CHRIST was not portrayed as a baby. Rather, HE+ was vividly and accurately portrayed as a REFINER+ of the Sons of Levi, the priests. Aaron and the "Cohen" were of the tribe of Levi.

Scripture tells us that Christians will become priests, also.   

Revelation 1:5-6

 1:5 And from JESUS CHRIST Who+ is the Faithful Witness+, and the First-Begotten+ of the Dead, and the Prince+ of the kings of the earth. Unto HIM+ that loved us, and washed us from our sins in HIS+ own BLOOD,

1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto GOD and HIS+ FATHER; to HIM+ be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

What does a "refiner" do ?

As the REFINER+ of our souls, The LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who+ loves us beyond all measure, allows the church to face persecution.

WHY Does GOD, Our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, allow Christians to be persecuted ?

Why does the LORD our  GOD allow followers of HIS Beloved SON+  to be martyred ?  

This has been on-going for two thousand years.

Why does GOD allow evil to exist which attacks and hurts the Christians ? 

Is GOD , the MAKER of Heaven and Earth, incapable  of dealing with the evil on planet earth ?

NO! 

HE is UTTERLY capable…. with even HIS very thought … of dealing death blows to every evil plan, every evil design, and every evil person upon the face of this planet. 

Furthermore, the MAKER of Heaven and Earth knows EXACTLY who is at fault for the evils... knowing each man's contribution to it...  and HE cannot be tricked.

Then, is HE unwilling  to deal with the evil and gross sins in both high and low places ?  

NO, again. 

HE+ is very willing that evil be stopped and wrong made right. That is why HE+ gave authority over the unclean spirits to His+ Disciples ( but told them to rejoice NOT in this authority but rather to rejoice that their names were written in the Heavens ! Luke 10:20 )

The PROBLEM is we Christians are looking at the evil encasing mankind through the eyes of our flesh… instead of seeing what The LORD is going to accomplish through it all.

Persecution is NEEDED 

for the CHURCH ! 

The LORD can deal swiftly with all the evil on planet earth in a moment of time. BUT FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH, HE allows persecution to come.

Report after report is pouring out of the persecutions in the Middle East:  churches which had 5 or 10 persons in attendance at services NOW HAVE THOUSANDS of persons coming, hungry for The LORD.  

According to the last issue of the Voice of the Martyrs magazine, ( Special Year in Review 2015) .  Evangelicals, Catholics, and Orthodox are worshipping together … and drawing thousands of muslims to CHRIST with them! 

THIS WOULD 

NEVER HAVE HAPPENED 

BEFORE THE PERSECUTIONS STARTED.

Why? 

The Christians were too lax, concerned only with their own lives, to endanger themselves to reach out to the un-saved.  The muslims were too content, concerned only with their own lives, to reach out to CHRIST. 

Now, with everything stripped away… including many loved ones, sadly enough ... the church is doing what it was supposed to be doing and the HOLY SPIRIT is responding by drawing the hungry and hurting ones to CHRIST JESUS.

This same thing has happened in North Korean under horrible persecution and in China, as we all know of Brother Yun, the Heavenly Man,  and the House Church movement --- and miracles --- in China. 

As our LORD+ and MASTER+ was treated, so HIS+ Children are treated.  We are NOT of this world, even as HE+ is NOT of this world.  TRUTH clashes with the lie. Therefore the world hates us.

The organized “church” system has turned the Precious Gospel, the Good News, into something it was NOT intended to be. They have done this in spite of the Words of our LORD JESUS CHRIST and the Teaching of the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT through HIS+ Apostles.

The Assembly of the Blood-Washed Saints was NEVER meant to become a “religious social club”.  

Churches have everything “the world” has to offer its attendees: groups and activities to meet a wide-variety of interests and ages, gymnasiums, self-help programs, music programs of every shade, and a few missionary activities on the side… besides the ENDLESS meeting-and-eating round.

 

However, The CHURCH was created and formed by The SON+ of GOD to be The Light of the world. It was created to give forth the Example of what it means to follow The MESSIAH+ in SPIRIT and in Truth. 

The organized church has thrown this aside in order to placate the “social and emotional” needs of its members. By casting aside the stark words of JESUS, the organized church has made itself to be a laughing stock to the world and worse, has the satan laughing at the impotency of its prayers. 

Scripture says in Psalm 89:7a : 

GOD is greatly to be feared

in the assembly of the saints. 

Is this happening?  

NO.  

The un-regenerated sinners who are coerced to enter the portals of the church by some hapless friend and the wicked spirits which torment the half-stepping churchians have NO fear fall upon them inside the church. 

Neither human flesh nor wicked spirits feel the heat of the HOLY LORD GOD during most Sunday services.

So, what is wrong ?

Picking up one’s Cross to follow JESUS is ignored and the young people on fire for The LORD are directed to the nearest seminary instead of to Self-denial and taking up the Cross, as JESUS said.

   

The organized church pastor ( aka CEO) is hired for his administrative skills in setting up “programs” for the congregation. Little ministry goes on in them and no-one is lead to The CROSS of JESUS …. but, the church members all “feel good” about themselves. 

Evangelism revolves around drawing outsiders into the flock… so that they can learn to feel good about themselves, 

Our LORD, then, has a solution... 

..... for those who are bringing SHAME upon The Eternal SON+ of The FATHER, crucifying HIM+ anew and putting HIM+ to an open shame.

For THIS REASON, the CRUCIBLE ... 

.... is now upon us. It is at the door. A crucible is used to remove IMPURITIES from any substance, so that it may become completely PURE. It is for our Eternal GOOD.

Persecution is ALSO the means

by which the church 

evangelizes most effectively !

What is being passed off as Christianity does not even resemble the true and original Christianity. The ancient Church, the Ecclesia trusted and actually followed MESSIAH…. through persecutions.  They actually lived their lives as HE+ had taught and commanded them to do NO MATTER WHAT. 

 

They were a VERY different race of people and the pagans could tell the difference. They were “not of THIS world.”

 They had met JESUS and laid on the altar of His+ Cross all worldly values and all loyalties to countries, cultures, and ethnic ways right along with all their sins. 

Because they considered themselves to be sojourners on the face of this earth, they refused to bear the sword and would not injure ANY person, even that person hurt them.  

They laid on the altar their “rights” and all their allegiances… except to CHRIST JESUS.  And, they STOOD.

Thus, STANDING for JESUS, they were  hated by certain groups, among them the State.  They were declared to be “ enemies of the state and of the human race”  by the man – worshiping Roman government.  No punishment was deemed too bad for the Christians.

In our own time, Christianity has become something it was never intended to be.   If this situation is allowed to continue, the organized religious system ITSELF will wipe out the Gospel of Life from the earth, which is satan’s goal.

Therefore the crucible MUST come;  

It must come

for the sake 

of the Church itself. 

The LORD+ will see who really loves HIM+ and who will walk with HIM+ and not deny HIM+. We will see that some “life-long attendees” will fall away; we will see that some tax-collectors and prostitutes will immediately repent and follow CHRIST to the death.

 HE+ will send forth HIS+ angels and will gather out of HIS+ Kingdom ALL things that offend, and them which practice iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their FATHER.
   

Matthew 13:41

The CRUCIBLE will remove the pretenders and will separate the wheat from the chaff. 

Amen. Let it be so, LORD JESUS, according to Thy+ will and purpose for this last great time of harvest before Thy+ Return in power and great glory.

Let us pray:

O LORD JESUS, help us to stop playing at activities designed to make us feel good about ourselves. Help us to mature, to pick up the Cross, and to die daily to our Self, in all seriousness. 

Help us to stop our insatiable craving for interaction... which we call "fellowship" ... and learn to have fellowship with THEE+ in SPIRIT and in Truth.

Prepare our hearts for going through the crucible with THEE+, to rescue as many as possible from the torments of hell, for Thy+ great glory and to our endless comfort and joy. 

We offer up to THEE+ praise and thanksgiving, for THOU+ doest all things well and knoweth the end from the beginning.  

According to Thy+ Good Will and Pleasure, we pray; Come, LORD JESUS.