CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN

CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN

                We recently sold our rather large motorhome, since we couldn’t get it up our driveway and didn’t want to pay a monthly fee to store it someplace. In its place we bought a lowly little pop-up camper with an air conditioner and only the bare essentials. ( And air conditioner is a bare essential in Tennessee) and we bought it to have a place to stay when we visit my son in Johnson City and his two big dogs would not be compatible with our 4 little dogs. We also plan to attend various conferences from time to time.

                The man we bought our camper from turned out to be a Christian man, a pastor in fact. We saw the light of Christ in his eyes and so spoke freely and had a good time of fellowship and ended praying together before we pulled away with our camper in tow. We told him that we had become Messianic Jews as a result of studying bible prophecy.

                This pastor was from a Reformed Church and I know that they are about as far on the opposite end of the spectrum as you can get from a Pentecostal Messianic Jew. So when I shared with him my love for Bible prophecy, he was quick to warn me not to get too involved with Bible Prophecy “because there are a lot of crazies out there.”

                I assured him that I am not chasing down every little event and trying to fit it into the Bible and that my interest in Bible Prophecy had to do with maturing in the faith and being prepared as a Bride adorned for Her Husband when He comes. I am not into sensationalism and I don’t spend much time in the realm of the “Crazies.”

                It is sort of amazing to me the aversion to Bible Prophecy that a large part of the Christian world shares. From the very foundation of our faith Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Aleph and Tav, the beginning and the end. He is the beginning of the story and He is the end of the story. He created it all and He will restore it all and His Bride, the church of the first born is eagerly watching and praying and following His moves so that we will not be caught unawares when He returns.

                The very fact that Jesus is the beginning and the end tells me that if we worship Him in His fullness, we will worship Him both as Creator and as coming King and we will do everything in our power to be awake and filled with oil and ready when He comes.

                The dead church loves to wipe away ever possible conversation about end time events by saying that no one knows the day or the hour… and as far as they are concerned that is the end of the conversation.

                Paul, in talking about the coming of the Lord said: “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying “peace and safety” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” 1 Thess. 5:2-3

                So we leave it right there and don’t go on to pay attention to what Paul says next. He says:

                “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night; nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” 1Thess 5:4-6

                Paul started his conversation in speaking with the Thessalonians saying: “Now as to times and epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.” 1Thess. 5:1. One could only wish that Paul would have expounded more on the subject, since nowadays we no longer understand the Feast days of the Lord. After all, they had just witnessed the fulfillment of the Spring Feasts by Jesus and now the subject on their minds was the return of Jesus and all of the signs pointing forward to it including the fulfillment of the Fall Feasts that would frame the events of His return.

                Zeph. 2:1-3 tells us what to do to prepare for His coming saying: “Seek righteousness, seek meekness:  it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.”

                Isaiah said: “The dead men shall live; together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, you that dwell in dust for thy dew is as the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out her dead. Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast, for behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity…” Isa. 26:19-21

                Joel said: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet.” Joel 2:15-16.

                The Hebrew word for closet above is “Chuppah” which is the canopy under which all Jews and Messianic Jews are married.

                A great deal of what Jesus taught in His parables had to do with Brides getting ready, of servants being faithful, of wise and foolish virgins being awake, the wise being ready and the foolish being asleep and unready.

                David said in Ps. 102:13-16 “When the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in his glory.”

                Today, against all odds, Zion has been built up and that once barren and empty land, and in spite of its tiny size, has become one of the most powerful, prosperous and food producing nations of the world.

                Did you realize that for about 1900 years, the church taught replacement theology simply because Israel didn’t exist and had no chance of existing again? Did you realize that beginning with Augustine the church taught that all Bible prophecy was a spiritual allegory, not related to literal events? Why did they teach that? It was because there was no way that Israel could become a nation once again and therefore hundreds of Bible prophecies could never be fulfilled literally.

                But today Israel is back in her land. She is prospering and Jerusalem is a cup of trembling as the nations of the world prepare to come against her. And they are now close to rebuilding the third temple which must be in place in order for end time prophecies to be fulfilled literally… and still there are stubborn churches aplenty that don’t believe that Israel’s existence has any prophetic meaning. So they still cling to their allegorical doctrines and warn people not to get too involved in Bible Prophecy. After all, it would expose their folly and it will keep them well asleep and unready when the Lord returns.

                The very framework of the entire Bible is a prophetic story of Eden lost to Eden restored. Of a seed line of faith that has been carried through time. About the Seed of a woman who would crush the head of the serpent… about a Remnant people preparing as a bride adorned for her Husband. Yeshua Himself went into great detail to outline for us the signs leading up to His return. God has been writing warnings across our sky in blood moons and solar eclipses, in earthquakes and volcanos and radical changes in our weather and in the sun.

                Even as it pertains to the massive amount of animal, fish and bird deaths Hosea warned us saying that because of our sins: “Therefore the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes along with the beasts or the field and the birds of the sky; and also the fish of the sea disappear.” Hos. 3:4 If you think that mass animal deaths are no big deal, google mass animal deaths and you will find that on a daily basis, hundreds of thousands, even millions of creatures are dying around the world. It is frightening.

                To me the entire Bible is a prophecy, an unfolding of God’s plans and those who are with Him and those who are against Him… those who will be ready and those who won’t be ready… those who are of Christ and those who are of the antichrist. We are progressing toward a marriage and the restoration of all things. As such the harvest is going to get rough as the wheat and tares are separated and as the chaff is removed from the Bride so that she may stand before Him as a Bride without spot or wrinkle… as a Bride who has made herself ready … as a Bride adorned for her Husband.

                Isaiah likens Zion to a Bride and we see in this that as above so below for there is a heavenly Zion and there is an earthly Zion and the earthly Zion is a pattern of things in the heavens so that we can rightly understand God’s prophetic patterns and purposes in the earth. The earthly Zion functions as a clock; a system of appointed times by which we can understand and prepare for the coming of the Lord.

                Every one of God’s prophecies will be fulfilled and they are rapidly being fulfilled right now and these things are pointing to a wedding.

                “For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.  I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” Isaiah 62:5-7

                So I am not ashamed of the Gospel and I am not ashamed of the prophetic patterns into which it is framed and I am not ashamed to call for the Bride to wake up and to prepare for the Bridegroom to come… and there is only one church to which we should aspire to belong in these last days and that is the church of the first born. We are not just members. We are sons and daughters… citizens of a kingdom and of a city whose Builder and Maker is God. We are watching all of the signs that He has placed one earth and in the sky, as well as His earthly template Jerusalem.

                In the near future Yeshua will return with His saints and He will set foot on the Mt. of Olives and He will take up His millennial reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. Zechariah 14:1-5, Jude 14, 15, 1 Cor. 15:51-58, 1 Thess. 4:13-15, 1 Thess. 5:23, 24, Rev 1: 7, Rev 2:25-29, Rev. 15:1, 2, Rev 19:14-15, Rev. 21:1-7, and Rev. 22:1-7.

                Read these texts for your inspiration and realize that this time is rapidly approaching and as His Bride to be and the church of the first born, we have eyes only for Him and we eagerly watch for the signs of His coming. We are watching and praying even as Jesus instructed us to and we are among those who love His appearing. 2 Tim. 4:8

                “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. “Titus 2:11-15

                Everything in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation is pointing forward to this time and the preparing of a remnant bride for Yeshuah. Our hearts should be gushing with love and our faces blushing with anticipation as we are nearing home.

                In a Jewish betrothal, the Bridegroom says: ”I am going to my Father’s house to prepare a place for you. And his return usually took place in the middle of the night with the sound of a trumpet or shofar announcing his return and he would come and sweep his bride off her feet and take her to His father’s house. In those days, they usually built an addition onto the parent’s home, because they would someday inherit the house and so each addition simply added to the value of their inheritance.

                Likewise, in keeping with the Patterns of the Jewish wedding, Jesus said:

                “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in god, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Jn. 14:1-3. Are you getting ready?