By Hubert Manilla

(Sunday 23rd March, 2008)

[For a printable version click here.]

Rev. 7 vs 3 “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their fore heads …”

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Yes, it is alright to say that Jesus is coming in the air. That does not mean much to you if He (Christ) does not come in our beings.  He has to come in the temple first (your heart). Then from the temple we will be able to see him. … Bro Cecil.  (Mahomet, Illinois May 23, 2007)

THE COMING OF THE LORD

We need to keep the “thought of the coming of the Lord” before our eyes. The Lord is coming soon.  It is helpful when we view the coming of the Lord not as one singular event but a series of events. The coming of the Lord is a series of events that culminate into the main event “This same Jesus who has been taken from you into the heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven (Acts 7 vs 10). For as the lightening cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall the coming of the son of man be (Matt. 29 vs 27) and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him (Rev 1 vs 7b).

The events that lead up to the main events are:

1) The Presence of Abominations and Iniquity in the Holy Place (the church):

Abominations and iniquity have always been found in the world so it is not a spectacular thing to know this.  But when the abominations and iniquity spreads into the church then it is time to stop and listen.  This is one landmark.  It is this overspreading of abominations and iniquity (sorceries, fornications, lying, one man lording it over the others, focus on self aggrandizement instead of the Lord, idolatry, cheating, mixing politics with Christianity i.e. Babylonish system etc) in the church that will culminate in the tribulation. Abomination in theHOLY PLACEand then there shall be GREAT TRIBULATION. Then let him that reads understand that it is time to flee to the mountain or the secret place of the Lord.

God gave the church a foretaste of the “milk and honey” experience of the promised-land (peace, deliverance, joy, prosperity, health) but the church has so loved the goodies of this pentecostal experience that many have chosen not to move from this level.  Since God expects us to move on to become overcomers, he will usher in the next event which is the tribulation.  Even in the days of old this has been God’s pattern.

2) Fleeing to the mountain (to get sealed):

Matthew 24 vs 15 … “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place vs 16.  Then let him which be inJudea(this represents a place of ease) flee into the mountains).

As we see in the passage, we are expected to flee to the mountain as we see the iniquity and abominations abound in the holy place (the church); and in the case of the individual, when he sees the flood or pressure of iniquity trying to rise up in the holy place (one’s soul). A good question to ask here would be; what does fleeing to the mountains entail? In order words what am I expected to do when I see abominations flooding to the church and rising up in my heart (soul)? 

In the time of Ezekiel (Ez. 9 vs 4) Angels that had charge over the city were given an injunction to go and destroy. The people to be destroyed are those who were not sealed before the instruction for destruction was given. The man with the ink horn went ahead to mark (seal) before destruction (tribulation) followed.

Also in Leviticus; during the feast of tabernacle (Lev. 23); the requirement of the Lord was as follows;  vs 27 “Also in the tenth day of the seventh month there shall be a day of atonement, it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and you shall afflict your souls” an offering made by fire unto the Lord vs 29 “And whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in the same day, he shall be cut off from his people”. This is atonement period.

We can equate this time of atonement, to the time of seeking, to the experience of fleeing (running up) to the mountains.  We can equate it to the place of the covering we get when we are in the body of Christ which is the only way we can come out of the tribulation victorious.

In Ezekiel the people that were sealed were doing something.  They were sighing and crying over the abominations in the land of their day. Lotin his day also sighed and cried over the abominations around him.  The bible says He (righteousLot) dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.

Is your righteous soul crying and sighing and being vexed over the unrighteousness you see in your heart? Are you praying and crying out to the Lord at this time, to save your soul from iniquity and abominations that are overflowing around you?

3) The tribulation:

The word tribulation is one of the things that evoke fear in our hearts.  It should not be so; we can say tribulation is only a means to an end. It is one of the events that will take place in order to usher in the coming of the Lord.  The tribulation is a time of great distress and trouble such as was not since the beginning of the world to the time, no nor ever shall be.  It will be such a terrible time that except those days be shortened no flesh shall be saved.  The tribulation will be brought to an end by the cry of the elect of the church.  This is one of the reasons why we realize that the rapture doctrine is not correct.  There will be no flying away from the trouble. The good news is that there will be no tribulation until the saints are sealed: Hurt not (i.e. tribulation not) the earth … until the saints are sealed in their foreheads (Revelation 7:3).

The tribulation is what is expected to encourage us to run up to the mountains.  It will start in the house of God and spread to the rest of the world. As Brother Cecil ducille aptly puts it: What do you think is going to bring you from where you are to the point where you become an essence that wants to be offered up to God? ABSOLUTELY THE ANSWER IS TRIBULATION!!!. God is expecting you to make the perfect offering of your soul.  He is expecting you to get to the Golden Altar of Incense; where you give up all of you; to desire nothing but wanting more of God. Make an offering to God, regardless, of your status and achievements; ready to loose that self preservation situation – losing it completely like incense being burnt; then you can enter into the Holiest of ALL. This is the desired sealing at this time.

• WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING AT THIS TIME?

We must get ready to avoid being caught unawares. We must ensure that firstly; we are (1) in God’s sanctuary i.e. the true body of Christ. (NB. The man with the ink horn will begin to mark at His (God’s) sanctuary), and (2) that you are being sealed (marked) by the HOLY SPIRIT. Beloved, the Holy Spirit is in the process of sealing and we know by the spirit that once that phase is completed then

Shortly, destruction (slaying) will follow in its heels BEGINNING AT HIS SANCTUARY.

This is a call for YOU to atone for your soul. By crying out to God to deliver your soul from the wickedness that He (by the Holy Spirit) reveals to you that are in your own heart – the envying, jealousies, lying, fornication, theft etc. the Lord will send deliverance to your soul and you will be delivered from these things in your heart. (Note: It is your heart we are talking about not your neighbour’s heart). You will be marked (sealed) and consequently you will go through the tribulation unharmed. Thus, put in another way, we should constantly through the Holy Spirit of God mortify (deaden, kill, weaken, subdue) the deeds or works of the flesh that we may live (Rom. 8 vs 13, Col. 3:5).

Those that are marked or sealed are the ones that will bring a cry unto the Lord which will then bring about the end of the tribulation.  This is another proof that there will be no flying away during the tribulation.  Those sealed will be the ones to bring the ministry that will cause the tribulation to end. 

In our running to the mountain experience (the place of covering), we must take care to avoid being like Lot who preferred the ‘plain experience’ (Zoar). God is looking for overcomers: People who will be useful during the tribulation of those days.  That is why we must take heed to know that the teaching of rapture which is to take you away from the tribulation to come is not correct. It is the sealing that will keep you away from the tribulation. Note what Psalm 91 says: HE THAT DWELLS IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH (the place of sealing) SHALL ABIDE UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY… NO EVIL SHALL COME NEAR YOUR DWELLING…WITH YOUR EYES YOU SHALL SEE THE REWARD OF THE WICKED.

Points to note:

Note that the mark is not necessarily a physical mark; it is the character of Christ that has been sown and has grown in you (the fruits of the Spirit).  So the mark i.e. the seal/character/nature of Christ comes unto a man’s heart and then it is fed and nurtured by your daily choice/actions until it comes to a full blown mark (i.e. the character or divine nature of Christ is fully formed in you). Christ must be formed in you.

• AFTER THE TRIBULATION; WHAT NEXT?

Revelation 7 vs 14 “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.

The tribulation experience is the means by which the saints’ clothes are washed and made clean.  After this experience of tribulation, the saints come unto the experience of joy and glory, God expects you to face any tribulation experience and come out victorious and glorious. Be encouraged saints of God because the tribulation will have no power over you, but for those that have not Christ, it will be bad news all the way for at this time the GREAT TRIBULATION shall come upon the people of the world.

4) The coming of the Lord:

After these things the next event is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ bodily with the overcomer saints. 1Thess. 2 vs 19 “To the end He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all saints”.

CONCLUSION

My prayer is that we will not miss the sealing of the Lord.  May we be a people who know the time of their visitation, that we might be found to be doing that which is necessary at this time in our lives; that we may be marked; sealed and clothed with garments of righteousness; that we may be amongst the company of those who will sing “O death where is thy sting or grave where is thy victory” (1 Col. 15: 55).

IT PAYS TO REMEMBER …

THE OLD PATHS