What is a Sheep Nation?

This link is to an audio teaching discussing what a sheep nation will be. Due to technical difficulties no written teaching was sent out this week.

Unity and an Eschatological mindset

12/24/11

Greetings,

                The New Year is right around the corner! What’s more, tomorrow is Christmas. Believe it or not this is the fifty-second BRIDE email on the topic of unity. This will also be the last. I will be taking a week off and BRIDE emails will resume beginning the first Saturday of 2012. The topic of the coming year will be spiritual warfare. We will discuss what it means, what’s involved, and most importantly how to exercise the victory that we have in Jesus Christ. If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you believe will benefit from learning about spiritual warfare please send me their email addresses so that I can add them to the recipient list! With all that is coming upon the earth, it is time for the body of Christ to arise as the powerhouse that God has appointed us to be.

                With that said, I was asked an interesting question recently. A friend of mine asked me what perspective the body of Christ should have in regards to the last days. This was a good question because many perspectives have been suggested by various sources. Some have said that we should simply focus on being “rapture ready.” This means we should be saved and prepared to vanish at any time so that we don’t have to deal with all of the negative things coming upon the earth. Another perspective suggests that we should be prepared to hide in caves, under rocks, or in holes in the ground. Some have even suggested that Jesus won’t come back until the whole world becomes Christian, so we should just keep evangelizing the lost.

                All of these suggestions have reasons for embracing them, but I am not convinced that any of these are the final say as it pertains to what perspective we should assume. As God has opened my eyes to His unfolding plan I have realized that He has a grand, awe-inspiring agenda prepared for the last days. In light of this, one passage in particular gives us a blunt glimpse of the plan that God has. The book of Daniel actually tells us what we will be doing in the last days. When we stop and consider what is truly being said it begins to reveal what kind of perspective we really should be embracing.

                “…but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” (Daniel 11:32)

                In order to understand the ramifications of this brief passage we must establish its timeframe. Believe it or not, the timeframe for this comment is the coming antichrist’s rule. This season will reveal the greatest evil ever released upon the earth. In spite of the darkest season history will ever record and without concern for the seemingly impossible circumstances under which they will be operating—the Christians of the last days that know their God will be strong and do exploits.

                There is nothing impossible for the true people of God because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). We are not looking forward to evacuation, but to a glorious mission. However, we must know our God. These people of Daniel 11:32 will have become the answer to the following prayer of Jesus:

                “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word (the testimony of the first apostles); That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are.” (John 17:20-22)

                The implications of this prayer are staggering beyond the imagination. Jesus is essentially praying for everyone that will ever believe upon His name. However, what He prays for them is nothing short of bewildering. He prays that they will be one in the same way that He and the Father are one. There is no unity as powerful as the unity of the Godhead. Jesus prays that the church will achieve the same unity that He shares with the Father. (This unity is manifested trans-dimensionally which is why Jesus says that the unity will manifest “in us”). This unity will allow for the saints to be strong and execute great exploits in the face of the antichrist agenda.

                Jesus goes on and declares that the activation of this unity among the saints will cause the world to believe in Him. This means that the result of unity is a massive harvest of souls—a side-effect of the strength and exploits of the last day saints. Jesus also speaks about His glory. Some people think that God will not share His glory. This is not what the Bible says. The Bible says that God will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8). However, He will share His glory with those found in Him. The very glory of Jesus has been given to the church. Jesus says that He has given His glory to the church that we might become one in Him. This glory will empower unity, strength and great exploits in the last days.

                Unity is inseparable from the coming moves of God. As I have said before, unity is not an end in and of itself. Unity is necessary in order to achieve the things that God has planned for the last days. Moreover, I am not speaking of a counterfeit unity based around a globalist agenda. This is a false unity and it is a counterfeit and a means of control. There is only one true unity and that is unity based on the common goal of coming to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). As the year winds to a close, let us keep in mind that Jesus has more prepared for us than we can imagine. Let us together press on towards the mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14)!

Discussion

1.       What perspective regarding the last days have you embraced until this point?

2.       What perspective regarding the last days does Daniel 11:32 suggest we should embrace?

3.       When Jesus prays for the unity of the church, what kind of unity does He pray for?

4.       What are some of the most powerful lessons in reference to unity in the body of Christ that you have learned in the past year?

5.       Do you have any suggestions that will allow me to improve these letters in the coming year? (Feel free to email me the answer to this question)

The Temple and the Bride

4/30/11

Greetings,

                I want to begin by reminding you that you are precious in the sight of God. He loves you so much and no obstacle or challenge in life can change that. You are special, you are gifted, and you were created with a purpose. You are mighty in Christ!

                This week we are going to discuss a little eschatology. Eschatology is fancy terminology for “the study of the last things.” In light of the last things, we are going to discuss the cost of unity. We are also going to define the timeframe where unity will finally be achieved.

                Many Christians are familiar with the term antichrist. This term has been popularized not only in Christian circles, but also by media. It is a fearful term that reminds us that Satan has a plan to counterfeit our very Savior. The interesting thing is that the only place where the Bible uses this term to describe this person is in 1 John 2:18. Other terms that are used for this person are little horn, king, son of perdition, man of sin, and beast.

                This antichrist is on earth for an indeterminable amount of time. However, we do know that from the time he signs a covenant with the nation of Israel (and possibly several other nations) there will be a period of seven prophetic years before the return of Christ (Daniel 9:27). We also know that this seven year period has two halves. After the first half of this seven year period, the antichrist will break his covenant and end the sacrifice and offering in the temple of Israel. He will also place the abomination of desolation at this time. The second half of this period is referred to as the great tribulation. The great tribulation begins immediately after the sacrifice is ended.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)…then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:15, 21)

Before Jesus made this comment, many of the Jews believed that the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel had already happened. They believed this because Antiochus Epiphanies, a Greek general, slaughtered a pig on the altar of the temple several hundred years prior to this comment. When Jesus said this, it was shocking. In essence, Jesus said that there was yet a future fulfillment of this prophecy. The destruction of the temple in 70 AD and the absence of a state of Israel left many confused for thousands of years

Some have suggested that this prophecy is entirely symbolic of what the antichrist wants to do to Christians because there is no literal temple in Jerusalem. I see no logical reason to conclude this. The temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem at some point in the near future. As evidence, consider these notes I took from a sermon by Jimmy DeYoung on March 11, 2011.

• Erecting the temple can be done in six months
• 28,000 priests are necessary to operate temple. A Rabbi at a Yeshiva has a computer that serves as a database for Jews qualified to be priests. They have called them all to Jerusalem to be prepared and trained because they are going to build a temple.
• The priests need a special garment made out of a single piece of cloth. There are currently 28,000 special garments already made to biblical specifications and they are in storage
• A mizrok is necessary as well. This is a container made out of pure gold and pure silver. It doesn’t have a base but a point so that it cannot be set down. These contain the blood from the blood sacrifices. If blood sits it will coagulate. The form of these containers makes it so that they cannot be set down but must be carried around by the priests at all times. Four thousand mizroks are needed and four thousand have already been prepared
• They have the table of showbread prepared
• They have the altar of incense prepared
• Two years ago they made the menorah, the seven branch candle holder, and it is on display in the Old city, the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem
• David had called for 10-string harps to be made for worship in the temple. A 10-string harp was made by Micah and Shoshanna Harrari and reported on by the paper: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126936.
• It was reported on by the newspaper that this was the first 10-string harp made in Israel in 2000 years. According to the Talmud, when the 10-string harp reappeared in Jerusalem it would be time for the Messiah to arrive.
• 2 years ago 70 Jewish wise men came together and reformed the Sanhedrin. They operate the temple and elect the high priest. Professor Weiss, spokesman for the Sanhedrin, says that the high priest has been elected.
• A conference was held a few weeks prior to March 11, 2011 for qualified priests from all over the world to receive their final training in priestly duties for the coming temple.
• 2 Rabbi’s claim to have been within 25 feet of the Ark of the Covenant and say they will bring it out from its hiding place when they have a place to put it.

                Once the temple is built, the sacrifice will resume as it did thousands of years ago. It will be conducted according to the outline provided under the Old Covenant. This is the sacrifice that the antichrist will end halfway into the seven year period we discussed.

                “And arms shall stand on his [the antichrist’s] part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.” (Daniel 11:31)

                We must understand that the eleventh chapter of Daniel, from where we take the above scripture, is entirely chronological. This means that verse 2 does not happen before verse 1. Verse 10 happens after verse 9. This is extremely important because the following verse comes after the sacrifice is taken away. It is written:

                “And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” (Daniel 11:35)

                Since this passage is occurring after the sacrifice is removed it must occur during the great tribulation. Remember that Jesus told us the great tribulation begins when the sacrifice is removed and the abomination of desolation is placed. This passage discusses that some of them that have understanding of the True God and His ways will die during that time. These individuals will die for the purpose of making their brethren white. White means clean and pure. It also symbolizes righteousness. Where else does the Bible speak of similar activity?

                “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:26-27)

                God intends to present His Son a bride without blemish. This means she will be white, clean, and righteous. This also means that she will be unified (Ephesians 4:13). In other words, she will come to a place of maturity. Jesus is not coming back for a little girl, He is returning for a mature bride. The timeframe where people are specifically prophesied to die for this occurs during the great tribulation. The idea that God comes to catch His church away before a great tribulation is entirely illogical. According to scripture, the great tribulation will actually be the necessary medium through which God will perform this work in His church. Are you prepared?

Discussion

1.       How many prophetic years are there between the time the antichrist makes covenant with Israel and the return of Christ?

2.       What happens halfway into this seven prophetic year period?

3.       Are people prophesied to die for the sake of God’s purpose in the church before or after this midpoint event?

4.       What kind of church is Jesus returning for?

5.       Do you consider yourself mature in Christ?