Where We Are Going

In terms of the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, leaving Egypt and the celebration of Passover are symbolic of our basic salvation in Christ.

Mount Sinai is symbolic of the Pentecostal experience. This is where we have been until recently.

Three events took place at Sinai or thereafter:

The Israelites received the Law.

The Tabernacle of the Congregation was constructed.

The congregation was organized into an army.

These three aspects of the Kingdom are being emphasized today.

The Spirit of God is stressing iron righteousness of behavior, fiery holiness of personality and behavior, and stern obedience to the Father (the giving of the Law).

The Spirit of God is encouraging us to covet earnestly the gifts and ministries of the Spirit so Christ may be formed in His Body. The day of the one-man ministry is passing away (the Tabernacle of the Congregation).

The Spirit of God is proclaiming war. It is time for the saints to be organized into the army of the Lord (the congregation of Israelites was organized into an army).

What will take place after this?

The Church will be brought to the Jordan, so to speak. Crossing the River Jordan signifies death to our self-will. Also the next generation must be circumcised, meaning we must be much more deeply consecrated.. The manna will cease because we must eat food grown in the land of promise if we are to have the strength to fight. The Word we are receiving must contain more Kingdom strength than has been true in the past. We must begin to comprehend God's plan to rid the material realm of Satan so we are not occupied entirely with our daily hopes and fears.

The general picture is this: The Church will be brought to the place of preparation for the invasion of the earth, which is our land of promise. When the Lord Jesus Christ appears we shall appear with Him. The purpose of the return of the Lord is to bring justice to the nations, to punish the wicked, to drive all sin from the earth. This Christ and His Body will do.

The return of the Lord will mark the beginning of a long drawn-out conflict. First will be the Battle of Armageddon and the destruction of the forces of Antichrist. After this the saints will go throughout the earth, crushing all resistance to the rule of Christ. The people that resist will be destroyed. The people that accept the government of Christ will be taught the righteous ways of the Lord.

The invasion of the earth by the army of the Lord is described several times in the Old Testament.

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, To inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints. Praise the LORD. (Psalms 149:6-9—NIV)

They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows. Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. (Joel 2:9,10—NIV)

"Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 4:3—NIV)

And in the New Testament.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Romans 16:20—NIV)

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (Jude 1:14,15—NIV)

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:11-14—NIV)

With the thought in mind of our return with Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth, it is easy to see why our present "Moses" ministry, with its accent on the pulpit ministry of teaching and exhortation, as valuable as it has been, will suffice no longer. In our day both the tares and the wheat are coming suddenly to maturity. This means wickedness will descend to depths of moral horror scarcely imaginable in the present hour. It signifies also that God and Christ will enter the Church to a degree of Divine Glory never before known on the earth.

Ours is a new day with new challenges. God is ready to equip us with spiritual wisdom and power that will enable us to be more than conquerors through the Lord Jesus Christ.

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