Quite often we hear Christians say out loud with great fervency “The Spirit and the Bride say Come”!
I wonder if many even understand just what they are proclaiming?
This statement is a declaration of agreement. It is the summons of two witnesses that are bidding the God of Heaven to perform one of His most awesome works affecting every person alive on the earth. Some for glory, some for destruction. It will involve all the angels of Heaven and the saints that have gone before us.
The performance is the last of God’s three phases to undo what Adam and Eve set in motion long ago. The blatant disobedience to God’s instruction in the eternal garden and the willing submission to the deceiver created an unfortunate scenario for mankind. The Earth, that God gave to man to rule and have dominion over, was now a spoil of conquest for Ha satan. The cunning cherub had duped the pair and now they were banished from God’s Presence in Eden. They were required to live in time (instead of eternity) which would lead to death and decay and also be subject to Ha satan’s rule over the earth along with the newly placed principalities and rulers of darkness that were set up in high places in the air.
God’s Three Performances
God’s first phase of recovery was to send a Redeemer to save mankind from their sinful nature through repentance and provide for them His righteousness. Their acceptance of His Messiah would open for them the entry into God’s Eternal timeless Heaven upon their physical death in “time”.
The second phase of God’s plan was to give man a helper to live in the fallen world that satan and the wicked spirits of the air now controlled through deceit, intrigue and immorality. He sent His Holy Spirit to provide His “Born again” children with spiritual weapons of warfare and authority in the Name of Yeshua to navigate through this oppressed world that Satan procured from Adam and Eve.
The final or third phase is to separate those who are called by God’s Name from those that hate God and will have nothing to do with Him. This is the Restoration of all things. God will restore man’s dwelling place with Him, their physical bodies, and open the Garden back to His children. He will also repair the Earth and bring His Kingdom down to merge with the fullness of the Earth.
The news of this wonderful process of the Restoration is called the “Gospel of the Kingdom”.
But the process begins with great distress as He must separate good from evil. God has revealed His plan through the prophets. Most Christians are unaware of what is coming.
Before one agrees with the Spirit and says along with the Spirit “Come”, it is imperative to understand all that is involved in this complex state of affairs that must happen according to God’s Word none of which can be left unsaid, changed or avoided.
Seven Angels Prepare to Blow
The books of Daniel and Revelation describe the coming events prior to the Restoration as terrifying, requiring God’s people to endure and trust Him as they go through it.
We know from 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4 that the Messiah comes to catch up His people at the sound of the last of seven trumpets.
Revelations 8 unfolds as the last seal is opened which initiates the seven angels to sound their seven trumpets. But before they do, something extremely important must happen. The believers on the Earth must get prepared. They will need to be ready for what is about to happen. They must heed God’s Word to the Churches (Rev. 2-3), repent, overcome their weaknesses that separate them from God’s will. They need to know the magnitude of what they are about to pray for in agreement with the Spirit.
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. Rev. 8:1-6
The incense from the Holy altar of the Spirit is offered WITH the prayers of the Saints. This is a picture of the Spirit and the bride (together) bidding God to initiate the process of Restoration. The Bride must be ready before she prays in unison with the Spirit.
Distress Comes First
The first four judgements (heralded by the first four Heavenly trumpets) that are coming upon the Earth prior to the Messiah’s coming are natural disasters and are specifically designed to “speak to” those who should be trusting in Yeshua but are in rebellion. These fallen believers have gone cold, leaving their first love and instead have been trusting in this world system for riches and power. The distresses are sent to wake them up so they can find their faith again.
The fifth and sixth trumpets release tribulations that are demonic in nature and in the process some non-believers will also come to faith in Yeshua.
For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Is. 36:9b
After the 6th trumpet no more repent.
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their [f]sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
It is now time for the final trumpet to sound.
The Thunders
Before the 7th and final trump sounds God speaks to His people.
God is faithful and provides His people with instructions in the midst of tribulation and transition. John calls the voice of God “thunderings”. These thunderings were voices from Heaven and were distinctly heard by John. I believe these messages that John fore heard are intended only for God’s people of the end times.
And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. Revelation 10:4
We see a similar precedent after the Exodus from Egypt.
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. Exodus 19:16
The end time event will be much like the time when God spoke on Mt. Sinai to His people but in this final time it will be to those who have washed their garments as Yeshua instructed to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3.
We also see a similar command in the correlating event of Ex. 19
And Moses went down from the mount unto the people and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. Exodus 19:14
Washing one’s clothes is a metaphor for repentance but more than that it is a deliberate rejection of worldly ways. In the time before Messiah comes, Ha satan’s will have taken command of the world system of commerce, education, entertainment, organized religion, and government. Washing your clothes is the denial to be a part of satan’s stolen kingdom that he acquired after Adam fell.
Here is where we must trust God as the Hebrew children were told to do when they left Egypt. Remember when God judged Pharaoh with the 10 judgments the children of Israel were not affected.
but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets. Rev. 10:7
So, friends, it’s time to look once again at our leading scripture from the beginning – Revelation 8 and re-read it with this new advantage.
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. Rev. 8:2-5
The prayers of the saints are mixed with the incense (the Spirit of God) and are now in agreement. The saints know the cost. They have repented, left the ways of this present darkness and its evil anti-Christ government, washed their garments and are waiting for instructions (thunders from God). Since God’s people know His voice the thunderings will be discernable to His people. By now they have endured to first 6 trumpets that must come before the seventh trumpet of Messiah. So, they declare in fervent prayer, in agreement as a witness with the Holy Spirit of God. THE SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE SAY COME!
The Earth begins to shake as God speaks to His own and the last Trumpet begins to sound….Come up here my people…until my wrath has passed. (Is. 26.20)
Woe to Satan and his seed as the vials of wrath are poured out.
