"But you have come to mount Zion, and the city of the living God, celestial Jerusalem, and to ten thousand messengers, to a universal convocation, and to the ecclesia of the firstborn, ‘registered’ in the heavens, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the just perfected, and to Jesus, the Mediator of a fresh covenant," Hebrews 12:22-24 concordant
You have come to God, the judge of all, who has thousands of messengers in the one gathering place of all Christian people. This is where the spirits of just men are, the true church of Christ that experienced within their lives a sealing process, registered in heaven. For two thousand years, God has worked to gather a people to spiritual Mount Zion:
"…one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘These clothed in white robes, who are they, and whence came they?’ And I have declared to him: ‘My lord, you are aware’. And he said to me. ‘These are those coming out of the great affliction. And they rinse their robes, and they whiten them in the blood of the Lambkin. Therefore they are before the throne of God and are offering divine service to Him day and night in His temple.
And He Who is sitting on the throne will be tabernacling over them. They shall not be hungering longer, nor yet shall they be thirsting any longer no, neither should the sun be falling on them, nor any heat, seeing that the throne-centered Lambkin shall be shepherding them, and shall be guiding them to living springs of water, and every tear shall God be brushing away from their eyes.’" Revelation 7:13-17 concordant
Chapter seven of the book of Revelation is the expected effect, the consequence, the conclusion and consummation of the breaking open of the seals within those who come to be slaves of Christ in chapter six. This brings forth a manifestation of God's life in sons who have the inner qualities of the twelve sons of Jacob. In them a divine nature of sonship is likened by Christ so sufficiently that they follow Christ Jesus from glory to glory.
In the dimension of living creatures, our first seal is opened as Christ rides into our spiritual life, “conquering and to conquer”. The second stage of growth is when peace is taken from our earthly life through tests and trials that brings conflict. Vast ‘knowledge’ causes us to slay one another with our huge sword of head knowledge.
So, our spiritual processing demands balance to dethrone the beastly soulish man within the religious mind in us. God’s refining judgments continue at the opening of the fourth seal to measure out His word until we experience opportunity to die to selfish ways and be slain in/to Passover and Pentecost fellowships. Then we can be clothed with our house from heaven.
We have feasted on the Word of the Lord in fellowship with various bodies of Latter Rain people. At that time, we were being sealed by God in various teachings and instruction of the Lord. Our Father’s activity in sealing His Word within us removed our old mindsets and the beastly nature of man to no longer rule within our being. This and many more experiences come through following Jesus in spiritual growth, the many dealings as sons, stripping away old heavens, having daily trials, and testings that process a “sealing” of our inner spirit to oneness with the Father’s will.
When the grace of the fifth seal is applied to our life we are slain by the word of God and find our true testimony. Under the altar of incense the saints’ sacrifices cry out, “… how much longer?” How much longer until vindicating rest, and the validation of being spiritually clothed in white robes that grants us patience to wait for brethren, even to travail in prayer for a manifestation of God that delivers beloved sons and daughters from all corruption.
The sixth seal (6 being the number of man) could be applied to every outward organization ruled by the natural understanding of man in which we have trusted or with whom we have been associated, including the Christian heavens of Passover and Pentecost that need to be shaken and completely removed from our conscious experience. These old heavens have fallen to earthly understanding, now appearing black as sackcloth to us, representing their need to be rolled up and put aside, forever passing away.
The hour is at hand for a complete manifestation of the body of Christ in glorious honor to true sonship. It is not necessary to convince anyone possessing spiritual understanding that God's stage is now set for the complete setting forth of His beloved sealed sons. This gathering is to “the spirits of just men made perfect” who have been gathering to Zion for two thousand years. Sealed sons are now alive in spiritual bodies, raised by a glorious resurrection to the heights of heavenly mount Zion. They are in the spirit of heaven’s glorious life, love, and peace, the righteous powers upon the pinnacle ordained of God.
This precise pattern of sealing is offered to each Christian who comes to God through faith in Jesus Christ. One must follow on to know the Lord in the path of spiritual growth to outcomes and consequences not of our own choosing. This results in His will being done before it can be observed and understood by men. Some events God is bringing to pass with great passion. We see clearly how the events coming are indeed the result and product of all that God has wrought before. This is indeed a wonderful key to understand the beautiful unfoldings of God’s glorious plans and purposes that are hidden in the book of Revelation. How unspeakably marvelous this is!
“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.’” Revelation 7:1-3
Let not the winds blow — until! Hold back the winds that hurt the earth — hold everything in restraint for a season — endure the corruption, UNTIL ENOUGH SONS OF GOD ARE SEALED IN THEIR FOREHEADS! God has brought no delivering judgment upon the wickedness of the earth realm. The vast wicked sea of humanity has not stopped their activities. The organized institutions called church keep producing religious heavens, using worldly methods. Let there be no judgment upon any of these things UNTIL enough sons of God have been sealed of the living God that they put on the mind of Christ, processed as mature sons and sealed in divine service.
Judgment begins at the house of God. Apart from the mind of Christ, man is unqualified to render any kind of judgment for God. And he will never be able to judge even his own soul rightly, let alone others or the nations, apart from understanding the wisdom given in the mind of Christ. What preparation God is taking to administer righteous judgment to the heavens and earthly systems of mankind. Righteous judgment is shed abroad in our heart, coming into our minds. The heavens already do rule and the spirit of the Lord does rule within His people.
"For even as the Father is rousing the dead and vivifying, thus the Son also is vivifying whom He will. For neither is the Father judging anyone, but has given all judging to the Son, that all may be honoring the Son, according as they are honoring the Father." John 5:21-23 concordant
Thus the divine fiat is issued by the decree of the King that the four winds be restrained from blowing upon the earth, the sea, or any tree, UNTIL the sealing of full growth has been fully formed in God’s "called out”, the "ecclesia." The church of the firstborn is the only church He built into a kingdom of priests. Worldly minded people in the church have taken the scriptures, wresting them to their own destruction. Yet to the meek is given spiritual understanding of hidden manna, a mature portion of the Godhead. Oh, how happy God makes us!
Multitudes of Christian believers hold to the same notion as heathen, believing every time there is some great disaster — a devastating earthquake, destructive hurricane or tornado, a ravaging flood, bloody war, terrorist attack, or ruinous tsunami snuffing out thousands of lives in moments of time — that God is using these FORCES OF NATURE AND MAN AS THE INSTRUMENT OF HIS JUDGMENTS. They falsely proclaim that by these things God is destroying man’s corrupt order.
We had better understand the mind of the Father concerning His judgments, considering,
“When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” Isaiah 26:9
This passage is wonderfully true, so I ask, “Are either man-made or natural catastrophes the judgments of God by which the world learns righteousness?” From ancient times mankind has experienced great wars that have killed millions of people by bloodshed, riots, cruelty, and tyranny. There has been destruction of entire cities by volcanic explosions, droughts, famines, floods, earthquakes, ravaging fires, pestilence, and a hundred more fearful desolations.
But have any of these, or even one of them, in the history of the world, ever caused the people of the world to LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS? If it did not, then it cannot be the judgments of God that Isaiah has declared will cause worldly people to learn righteousness. Certainly God was in control when these disasters struck. Did He see and care for those unfortunate people just as He takes note of every sparrow that falls to the ground? Will He use it for good? Absolutely He does!
But, He was not really out to “teach the world righteousness” through these terrible events. These disastrous events were and are not His method of instructing worldly minded people in righteous judgments. THE INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD WILL ONLY LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS BY THE MERCIFUL JUDGMENTS OF GOD! Isn't the bringing of disaster on earth an interesting array of characteristics and attitudes ascribed to our Father’s activities?
Yet the only way God could be punishing nations, giving them what they deserve, paying them back for their sins, and pouring out wrath, vengeance, and destruction upon them, would be if the nations were under His law. The antediluvian world perished in the flood. Sodom and Gomorrah were consumed by fire and brimstone from heaven. The seven nations of Canaan were ordered to be exterminated. Israel was driven out from her land, the land and the temple devastated, and the people given to the sword and captivity. In former days God did hold people and nations responsible and accountable for their sins, and God did judge nations according to Israel.
The good news is that God brought in a NEW covenant! The age of law ended by establishing a NEW COVENANT OF GRACE AND SALVATION in which devastating judgment is withheld until His hidden project of maturing a body of believers is completed. Then the nations will see His judgment through mercy coming to life in sons who teach righteousness. A wonderful new covenant covers the Lord’s called and chosen people, those who accept Jesus Christ by faith to be cleansed by His blood unto a regeneration by His Spirit. And that testimony is going to be true of every man in the world under the new covenant teaching of Paul:
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO THEM; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” I Corinthians 5:19
The people of the world are under a new covenant unawares. The law came by Moses, but grace and truth come by Jesus Christ. Now instead of punishment, vengeance, and retribution upon the nations, the directive word for us is:
“Go ye therefore and preach the gospel (good news) to every creature…” Mark 16:15
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and disciple the nations…teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:18-20
Oh, yes! God has directed in His plan to reconcile the whole world, all people of every generation/ All the nations of man will be ministered to without imputing their trespasses unto them. To whom He calls and elects to be chosen are given a word of judgment. This is NOT a word of condemnation and retribution, trouble, disaster and fear, but the WORD OF CERTAIN RECONCILIATION WITH GOD! Jesus is the Lord and Saviour of ALL men and women, AS He is the SAVIOUR OF ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD!
“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29
“This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” John 4:42
“This is indeed the “good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
God is going to deal with the nations by that man whom He hath ordained, He who is the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD. So what is the attitude of the reconciler and savior of the world toward the nations today? Would it be different than when He came into the world to become its Savior?
“For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17
THAT is the king’s message, that the world be saved, and I fail to see any other message as representing either the Kingdom or His new covenant. Jesus’s message to the woman caught in the act of adultery was clearly,
“Neither am I condemning you. Go! From now on by no means any longer be sinning.” John 8:11 concordant
The King’s message was not: “Repent, for the wrath of God is at hand,” but, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand”! Oh, my, what a vast difference there is between those two views points in levels of Christian ministry! The apostle Paul’s attitude toward the nations is expressed in these words:
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel [good news] of God, which He had promised before by His prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: by whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name.” Romans 1:1-5
“Now unto Him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.” Romans 16:25-26
Is there future judgment coming upon the nations? Absolutely, WHEN ALL THE CALLED, CHOSEN, AND ELECT SONS OF GOD HAVE PUT ON THE MIND OF CHRIST SUFFICIENTLY! The Day of the Lord, the time of deliverance for all nations, and the sufficiency of Christ’s sealing within us, His people — all His gathered sons for two thousand years — are now aligned to be granted judgment to execute the Father’s great plans.
God's judgment will bring an end to devastating atom war, earthquakes, and ruinous tsunamis, for through God's glorious judgment peace will be manifest in sons flowing with spiritual transcendence to transform men. It affects this planet to calm the storms, change nations, and sweep away all the refuse of lies that have dominated carnal minded Christians in the passing orders of Passover and Pentecost.
The people of the Lord tabernacle in Zion as washed, spotless, sealed, having learned righteous judgment by growing spiritually into new states of holy love, peace, and joy, as righteous citizens of the Kingdom of God.