Page 33 - The Prophetic Word Newsletter Archive 2009

The majority of the church will continue to be plagued with foolish virgins, tares planted by Satan, and the
majority (3 out of 4) of believers failing to bear in their lives the fruit of the Kingdom due to yielding to Satan’s
temptations of unbelief, offense and ensnarement in earthly alternatives. The leadership of the church will
continue to have its share of false apostles, false teachers and wolves in sheep’s clothing. However, in the
midst of all this we have the Philadelphian church, (the church of “brotherly love”) which will continue to keep
God’s Word, not deny His name, and keep the commandment to persevere. This church will be taken out of
this chaotic world prior to God releasing upon the earth a great time of tribulation to test the unfaithful that are
left behind. Jesus’ counsel to all members of His church is to:

“TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES, LEST YOUR HEARTS BE WEIGHED DOWN WITH
CAROUSING, DRUNKENNESS, AND CARES OF THIS LIFE, AND THAT DAY COME
UPON YOU UNEXPECTEDLY. FOR IT WILL COME AS A SNARE ON ALL THOSE WHO
DWELL ON THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH. WATCH THEREFORE, AND PRAY
ALWAYS THAT YOU MAY BE COUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE ALL THESE THINGS

THAT WILL COME TO PASS, AND TO STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN.”
Luke 21:34-36

Let me set before you what the Word of God reveals are God’s priorities for this segment of His church who
desire to be “counted worthy to escape” :

“A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE TO YOU,
THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER;

AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, THAT YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
BY THIS ALL WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES,
IF YOU HAVE LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER.” John 13:34-35

“BELOVED, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER, FOR LOVE IS OF GOD;
AND EVERYONE WHO LOVES IS BORN OF GOD AND KNOWS
GOD. HE WHO DOES NOT LOVE DOES NOT KNOW GOD,
FOR GOD IS LOVE.” 1 Jn.4:7-8

Loveless Christianity is an oxymoron. Paul enumerates in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 a whole host of things we
can do for God, as Christians, that will be considered as nothing if we do not have love. Included in that list is
great faith and great sacrifice-even martyrdom! All will profit nothing if divorced from the motivation of love. We
are to love even our enemies (Matt. 5:44). Impossible you say? Not when we realize that love is a fruit of the
Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22) which is produced in us as we “Walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16), “Hear what the Spirit says to
the churches (Rev. 3:22), “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30) and be continually “Filled with the
Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

The second thing we must do as members of the church that desires to be counted worthy to escape is to be a
lover and defender of truth. Consider how Paul describes the church:

“I WRITE SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW HOW YOU OUGHT TO CONDUCT YOURSELF
IN THE HOUSE OF GOD, WHICH IS THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD,
THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH.” 1 Tim. 3:15

God’s people have always had trouble standing for the truth. Jeremiah the prophet
described a segment of Israel as:

“MY PEOPLE...THEY ARE NOT VALIANT FOR THE TRUTH ON THE EARTH...AND WILL NOT SPEAK THE
TRUTH...TRUTH HAS PERISHED AND HAS BEEN CUT OFF FROM THEIR MOUTH...” (Jer. 9:3-5, 7:28)

Jesus is called “the truth” (Jn.14:6). The Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of truth” (Jn. 14:17). God’s Word “is truth” (Jn.
17:17). The church is “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Jesus gave two purposes for truth: One is
to “make you free” (Jn.8:32), and the other is “to sanctify them by your truth” (Jn. 17:19). Half-truths will not set us
free from the bondages of sin and tradition, nor will they sanctify (set apart) the believer. We need the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The purpose of the rapture is to remove the truth from the earth and allow it to be replaced with a lie. This is
God’s judgment on a world who does not love the truth (2 Thess. 2:9-12).