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WINDS OF CHANGE No. 2

The LORD Has a Controversy With the Nations

Earnest Bible scholars who know the Scriptures will no doubt swiftly turn the pages of their Bibles to the Book of Jeremiah to read the remainder of our sub-title: (Jeremiah 25:36-37)

" Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is destroying their pasture, the peaceful meadows will be laid waste because of the fierce anger of the LORD. "

If we keep firmly in mind the main heading of this study, we find this: When the LORD deals with the shepherds of His flock He often does this through `the controversy He has with the nations', and this can be seen in the earlier verses of this chapter of Jeremiah. It has always been so, and we can often trace the hand of the LORD as He chastens and disciplines His people - through kings and tyrants, and through natural calamities and disasters. It is not our intention to launch into another message of `woes and lamentations', but we do seek to set out our understanding of the times in which we live by using examples or types which are found in Scripture. For that we need to turn first to the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, from whence comes our title.

We know of couse that the Book of Jeremiah is not set out in any kind of chronological sequence, for it is the rewriting of Jeremiah's words by faithful Baruch after King Jehoiachin had cut up Jeremiah's scrolls as they were read out to him, after which they were tossed into the fire in utter contempt of the Word of the LORD: (Jeremiah 45:1)

" This is what Jeremiah the prophet told Baruch son of Neriah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, after Baruch had written on a scroll the words Jeremiah was then dictating. "

It is said by the Rabbis that just as King Jehoiakim cut up Jeremiah's scrolls, so has the Book of Jeremiah been `cut up' by God as a perpetual reminder of Jehoiakim's contempt. Therefore, in order to fully understand the historical and spiritual message that lies within the words Jeremiah spoke, we need first of all to set them into their correct sequential order. It is undoubtably true that there are great doctrinal truths and encouragement within individual verses. It is also true that the Word of God is living and active, so we therefore need to keep our minds open to the `many and varied ways' through which this Living Word speaks! Within the scope of this study we are looking first at the canonical shape and structure of the Book of Jeremiah, as the Holy Spirit directed it to be set down rather than the fine detail, for as we have mentioned before, therein often lies an important message, if we take the trouble to search Scripture in that way. We shall then take the message it reveals into another historical setting, before applying it to the times in which we now live. The opening words of Jeremiah gives us the historical point in time when the prophet began his ministry to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah: (Jeremiah 1:1-3)

" The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile. "

From historical records concerning these kings we learn that Jeremiah spoke the Word of the LORD over a period of 40 years - that is, from the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign until the taking into captivity of the last of the kings of Judah, `Zedekiah son of Josiah'. We know that, in Scripture, numbers as well as words can be used to convey a message, and with the knowledge that the number 4 speaks of `testing' and the number 10 of `fulness' we understand that during the 40 years in which Jeremiah spoke the Word of the LORD a message was conveyed of the fulness of the testing of the character of the kingdom of Judah. This, then, is the subject matter for which we are looking within the Book of Jeremiah - a probation, a testing of the character of the kingdom of Judah. Before we begin to look more deeply into this probation period we need to step back some 66 years - to the time when the prophet Isaiah's voice was extinguished during King Manasseh's reign of terror, and then earlier still to the time when Isaiah spoke the Word of the LORD to King Hezekiah: (Isaiah 39:5-7)

" Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, `Hear the Word of the LORD Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon'. "

As if to remind the new generation that the Word of the LORD stands eternal and will surely come to pass, we now hear Jeremiah, in the midst of the apostacy of King Jehoiakim's reign, speaking once again of that coming captivity for the kingdom of Judah: (Jeremiah 25:1-11)

" The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah, and to all those living in Jerusalem: `For twenty-three years - from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day - the Word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. And though the LORD has sent you all His servants the prophets again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention. They said, `Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the LORD gave to you and your fathers for ever and ever. Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not provoke Me to anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.' `But you did not listen to Me,' declares the LORD, `and you have provoked Me with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves.' Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: `Because you have not listened to My words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,' declares the LORD, `and I will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness; the voice of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years'. "

Not only did King Jehoiakim totally ignore the words that Jeremiah spoke, but he also contemptuously cut up the scrolls as they were being read and threw them into the fire! So now, just as surely as Jehoiakim had cut up the Word of God, God was about to cut up the `world' of Jehoiakim, and the way in which this would happen was through `the controversy the LORD has with the nations', who in their turn would misuse their power in the treatment of the land of Israel and her people.

We now need to step back from God's `controversy against the nations', and even from the contemptuous acts of King Jehoiakim, and look at what this probation period of the kingdom of Judah means and the outworking of `the Word of the LORD (which) came in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah.' As we read on into the corresponding historical books we read of the reforming zeal of the young and godly Josiah: (2 Kings 22:3-7)

" In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the Temple of the LORD. He said, `Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and make him get ready the money that has been brought to the Temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. Make them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the Temple. And make these men pay the workers who repair the Temple of the LORD - the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also make them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the Temple. But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully. "

Later on we read of the renewing of the Covenant: (2 Kings 23:1-3)

" Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the Temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets - all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the Temple of the LORD. The king stood by the pillar and renewed the Covenant in the presence of the LORD - to follow the LORD and keep His commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the Covenant written in this Book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the Covenant. "

Josiah continued with his reforming zeal. He cut down and burnt the Asherah poles and destroyed the pagan shrines, grinding them to powder so that no trace of them could be found. He desecrated Topheth the shrine of the fire god Molech in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so the men and women could not sacrifice their children in the fire anymore. He also cleansed the Temple Courts and destroyed the altar at Bethel in the northern kingdom of Isreal: (2 Kings 23:20-23)

" Then Josiah slaughtered all the priests of those high places and burned human bones on them. Then he went back to Jerusalem. The king gave this order to all the people: `Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.' Not since the days of the Judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the LORD in Jerusalem. "

Without a doubt, in those early years of King Josiah's reign the Spirit of the LORD was upon him and upon the kingdom of Judah. Great evil had been done during the reign of King Manasseh, but now, through the reforming zeal of Josiah, a new hope was set alight in the peoples' hearts, and a new love for the LORD and for His ways. It led to a cleansing of the land and to a hunger for God's Word. It also led to the renewing of the sacrifical rituals in the Temple at Jerusalem when they renewed the Covenant and celebrated the Passover in a way not seen since the days of the Judges.

However as we move on into the Probation Period of the 40 years, during which Jeremiah faithfully spoke the Word of the LORD, we see a slow but steady progressive downward slide into apostacy, and following the death of Josiah, at the hands of Neco Pharaoh of Egypt, we move into the reign of King Jehoiakim and find that `he did evil in the eyes of the LORD': (2 Kings 23:36-37)

" Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah; she was from Rumah. And he did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as his fathers had done. "

Moving swiftly on, for time was running out for the kingdom of Judah, the Words of the LORD, spoken so faithfully by the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, were soon to be fulfilled. We read in the final chapters of the Second Book of Kings of Zedekiah, the last king of the southern kingdom of Judah : (2 Kings 24:18-20)

" Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the LORD's anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end He thrust them from His presence. "

Thus were the `Fourty Years of Probation' completed, and they ended with the armies of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marching against Jerusalem, which finally led to the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem and the people being taken into captivity. Thus was the Word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah fulfilled: (Jeremiah 25:34-38)

" Weep ands wail, you shepherds; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For your time to be slaughtered has come; you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery. The shepherds will have nowhere to flee, the leaders of the flock no place to escape. Hear the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is destroying their pasture. The peaceful meadows will be laid waste because of the fierce anger of the LORD. Like a lion He will leave His lair, and their land will become desolate because of the sword of the oppressor and because of the LORD's fierce anger. "

The Fourty Years of Probation which started with such purifying zeal under King Josiah, leading to the cleansing of the Temple and the land of Judah, during which time the Spirit of God was moving in the response of the people in their love for God, had slowly moved into apostacy during the reign of King Jehoiakim, and finally ended in the reign of King Zedekiah with the destruction of the Temple - the place where God manifested His Presence in the Most Holy Place.

Here, then, we have the general framework of the Probation Period of Jeremiah's time. It was outworked within a Temple setting, beginning with a move of the Holy Spirit who had enabled King Josiah to begin his reforming work of cleansing and purifying the Temple and the surrounding land. It led to a great awakening among the people, a renewing of the Covenant and their relation to the LORD of the Covenant, and a restitution of the ritual sacrifices in the Temple. God was in their midst again . . the signs and wonders were evident as Josiah and the people responded to the move of God. But the religious leaders, those who were called apart within the nation to outwork their ministry of sacrifices and worship within the Temple, failed to maintain that response, and so the prophet Jeremiah continued to speak his words of warning that a scattering of the people would come through `the controversy the LORD has with the nations'. The apostacy deepened, and ended at last with the destruction of the Temple, the scattering of the flock into captivity and the desolation of the pastures of the shepherds. The 40 year Probation Period of the testing of the character of a people who had been formed into the kingdom of Judah, which had begun with a move of God in a Temple setting, finished with the destruction of that same Temple!

We also need to remove from our minds our modern understanding of `probation', where people (usually young people) are placed on probation rather than be condemned to imprisonment where, in regular meetings with a Probation Officer their problems are talked through in order to avoid future imprisonment. The general principle remains the same: An offer is made to delay judgement, and the probation period is the time during which the character of the person is tested to see if their response to the offer of clemency remains constant and steadfast. In the example we have looked at we see a move of God, through the Holy Spirit, enabling King Josiah to respond by the purification of the Temple and the land in order to avoid judgement on the nation's apostacy. During the reign of Josiah the people had experienced the reforming work of the Holy Spirit, and they had seen the signs and wonders of God again in their midst. During the outworking of the Probation Period the nation's character must be tested to see if they would remain constant and steadfast in their love and zeal for the LORD. They failed, and the judgement that had been spoken of fell upon Judah! But just in case we stand accused of drawing too heavily upon examples seen in the Old Testament we will move quickly on into the New Testament era, into another Probation Period of fourty years, during which time judgement was witheld whilst the character of the nation was tested. Once again the setting is within the Temple in Jerusalem. Once again it is the character of the nation of Israel which is being tested, and we see the same pattern unfolding as seen in the time of Jeremiah. This also ends in failure on Israel's part and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem!

To see this we need to turn our thoughts to the Acts of the Apostles. As this is the Book to which many who long to be part of a `New Testament Church' turn in order to draw out inspiration for their desires, we need to find the central message revealed within its pages -and we would suggest that it is not primarily concerned with the Church at all. Its central work is that of the continuation of the ministry of Jesus, through `witnesses whom God had already chosen' (as Peter said when preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God at the house of Cornelius) and in the early chapters of this Book the message was still to the household of Jacob . . the nation of Israel. As the writer to the Hebrews says: (Hebrews 1:1)

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways. "

The message He spoke through the prophets to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament was spoken again, this time through God the Son as Jesus offered them once again the Kingdom of God through acceptance of Him as their Messiah. Again the offer was rejected! (Matthew 23:37:39)

" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord'. "

Now here in the Acts of the Apostles we see the offer of a restored Kingdom made to the nation of Israel by the Holy Spirit through His witnesses: (Acts 2:1-4; 14 and 22)

" When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them . . . . Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: `Fellow Jews and all of you who are in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say . . . . Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know'. "

If we now turn our thoughts back to the first chapter of Acts we clearly see the central work that undergirds the whole of this remarkable Book. We can see in the first chapter in verse 6 that the disciples were expecting the restoration of the Kingdom of God to Israel. In accepting Jesus as Messiah they fully understood what had been offered to the nation of Israel, and now, as they gathered around their risen Lord, their questions were even more urgent and expectant: (Acts 1:6)

" So when they met together, they asked Him, `Lord, are You at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel'? "

The reply given by Jesus would now unfold as Luke sets out the Acts of the Holy Spirit through the apostles, who were the `witnesses chosen by God'. (Acts 1:7)

" He said to them, `It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority'. "

The central witness in the early chapters is the apostle Peter, and we read of him witnessing and proclaiming the Messiah to the Jews `in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria.' The later chapters introduce Paul, who was chosen by God to be a witness `to the ends of the earth'. Their witnessing was accompanied by miracles, signs and wonders - as had been their Master's during His earthly ministry - as they continued to do His work as His Body. In the early years following Paul's conversion we see that his witnessing was still primarily amongst the Jewish people and the proselytes of Judaism.: (Acts 9:19b-20)

" Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. "

As we enter into the later chapters of Acts we find Paul entering at last into the fulness of his apostleship to fulfil his Lord's commission, which He had spoken to Ananias: (Acts 9:15)

" But the Lord said to Ananias, `Go! This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. "

Paul now became God's witness `to the ends of the earth' - to Jew and Gentile alike, and as the Holy Spirit led him into the fulness of his ministry so the message of his witnessing also changed. No longer did he proclaim Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, but Jesus as Saviour of ALL mankind - the Son of God crucified and raised from the dead that He might take His place as the Head of His Body, through whom He would continue the work His Father had given Him to do: (Acts 13:26-39)

" Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognise Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead, and for many days He was seen by those who had travelled with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people. We tell you the good news. What God promised our fathers He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

The fact that God raised Him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words:

` You are My Son, today I have become Your Father.'

` I will give You the holy and sure blessings promised to David. '

So it is stated elsewhere:

` You will not let Your Holy One see decay '

For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him everyone who believes is justified from every- thing you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses. "

These particular acts of the Holy Spirit drew to a close as once again the Jewish people rejected the offer made to them, and we read the words spoken by Paul when preaching to the Jews during his imprisonment in Rome: (Acts 28:17-28)

" Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: `My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar - not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the Hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.' They replied: `We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers who has come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.' They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the Kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: `The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when He said through Isaiah the prophet:

Go to this people and say: ` You will be ever hearing, but never understanding, you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.' For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.

Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen! "

We read of that time in Paul's own words, when he wrote `to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints': (Romans 11:25)

" I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening IN PART until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. "

That the Kingdom of God would one day be offered once again to the nation of Israel is a certainty in Paul's writings, but he had understood his calling to be a witness for his Lord `to the ends of the earth', and he was content to leave other matters in the Hands of his Lord!

In this brief background we have set out our understanding that the Book of Acts is not primarily concerned with the Church so much as it is concerned with the continuous proclamation and offer of the Kingdom of God to Israel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to `the ends of the earth' - and the consequences of the rejection of that offer which led to `a hardening in part of Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.' What we see here in the Acts of the Apostles is another Probation Period for the nation of Israel. With this in mind we need to draw on the parallel seen in the Probation Period revealed within the structure of the Book of Jeremiah, which had started with a move of God in the cleansing and reviving of the work in the Temple in Jerusalem, but ended with the shepherds and the sheep of the southern kingdom of Judah being taken into captivity and the Temple destroyed.

But first the historical period of `Acts' needs to be set out. It commences at the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) in AD 29, following the crucifixion of the Messiah at the earlier Feast of Passover. As we read on we see Peter, John and other disciples proclaiming the offer of the Kingdom of God in the Temple in Jerusalem. The narrative leads on to the death of Stephen, who continues to witness and proclaim even as the stones rain down upon his body, eventually causing his death. We then read of Philip witnessing in Samaria, and within six years Peter had boldly proclaimed the message throughout the land of Israel. With Peter's work of `unlocking the Kingdom' completed the way was now open for Paul to be called as a witness, leading him eventually to become the one to proclaim the risen Jesus to `the ends of the earth'. The first twenty years of `Acts', as recorded by faithful Luke, were years of reforming zeal amongst the people of Israel. Once again, as in the time of Jeremiah, the setting is a Temple scene: (Acts 2:14-17)

" Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: `Fellow Jews and all of you who are in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

In the last days, God says: `I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams'. "

Large numbers responded to Peter's proclamation, as individuals from the nation of Israel accepted Jesus as their Messiah and were brought into the Kingdom of God. These were indeed times of signs and wonders as the Presence of God manifested in that setting. It spilt out into the land of Israel - in miracles of the mighty power of the Lord, and in fellowship and committment one to the other, which was the hallmark of `the People of the Way'. They were indeed heady and intoxicating times, and it seemed as though, after all, the Kingdom had been restored to Israel. But twenty years on, as Paul was launched into the fulness of his ministry to `the ends of the earth', the pattern was beginning to follow the one of the Probation Period of Jeremiah's time! Clearly the Kingdom was not being fully restored at that time for there was a hardening in the hearts of the men of Israel, and the people began to question what had happened.

We read of this as Paul, and later, John, began to write their Epistles.

There is a danger of forgetting that the Letters and Epistles were written in the later years of the apostles' time of witnessing, and they were written to correct, to warn and to encourage the disciples of Jesus to stand firm in the revelation given by the apostles. The Letters to the Thessalonians were the first to be written in AD 52-53, and in these Letters we begin to catch sight of the flaws in the character of the nation of Israel as the strains of a prolonged Probation took their toll. Once again Israel was beginning to reject the message of these witnesses:

1 Thessalonians 5:1-4

" Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, `Peace and safety', destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this Day should surprise you like a thief. "

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2

" Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the Day of the Lord has already come. "

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews, which was written at about the same time, was even more concerned, as he saw the Jewish believers considering a return to Judaism:

Hebrews 12:1-2

" Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. "

John, writing his Letters in about AD 56, was warning of those who were falling away through false teaching, and Paul, towards the latter end of the AD 50's, was writing sternly to the believers in Corinth, because they were slipping back into pagan activities. Peter, writing in AD 60-63, some thirty years after that glorious outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Temple Courts at Pentecost, also showed his deep concern over what was happening:

1 Peter 1:13-15

" Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. "

1 Peter 5:1-3

" To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who will also share in the glory to be revealed. Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers - not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being an example to the flock. "

1 Peter 5:8-9

" Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. "

2 Peter 1:10-11

" Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. "

2 Peter 3: 1-4

" Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, `Where is this `coming' He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation'. "

From these selected Scriptures we can see the grave concern and anxiety the apostles were feeling as they wrote. We tend to `bracket' these words together, and then pick and choose where we will, applying them to all and every situation as we work out our doctrine. Whilst this is perfectly correct for our own personal walk of renewal, we also need to hold these Letters in their contextual setting and time sequences, lest we miss the essential message seen in the canonical structure of Scripture. By AD 62-63 we come to the time of Paul's first imprisonment in Rome, where he would write his Epistles to the Ephesians, the Philippians and the Colossians, and we are now coming very close to the end of the historical time of the Acts of the Apostles.

In looking more closely at these Epistles we now find little talk of signs and wonders. The miracles are in the past, as is the large number of converts coming into the Kingdom of God through faith in Jesus! The writings now are increasingly seen as warnings and exhortations to `stand firm'! The Letter to the Philippians talks of illness and distress; of Epaphroditus, who was ill and who nearly died. It is this time that we read about in Acts 28, the time when came the final rejection by the Jews of the offer of the Kingdom of God, spoken of so faithfully by Paul and the other apostles. Then in AD 68-69 we find Paul, during his last imprisonment, writing to Timothy, his `dear son in the Lord'.

2 Timothy 2:1-3

" You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. "

2 Timothy 2:14-15

" Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarrelling about words; it is of no value and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. "

2 Timothy 3:1-5

" But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. "

2 Timothy 4:1-3

" In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His Kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. "

Finally we hear the last words of faithful old Paul. By now he was very close to his coming glory, his work of witnessing for his Lord `to the ends of the earth' now finished: (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

" For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my release. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that Day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing. "

By AD 70 the Roman armies of Titus would be the hammer upon the `anvil' of Jerusalem that would complete the fourty years of this Probation of Israel. With the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple there came the great Diaspora - the destruction of the sheep's pasture and the scattering of the shepherds of Israel! This would last for many centuries, until 1948 and the founding of the modern State of Israel!

It is true there have been many cycles of revival and decline in the history of the nation of Israel, and it could be said that the timescale of fourty years - seen in the examples of the times of Jeremiah and the Acts of the Apostles - could well be coincidence. What takes us beyond the realms of coincidence, however, is that both Probation Periods commenced with a reforming zeal in the nation of Israel, beginning in the Temple in Jerusalem. Both Probation Periods saw and experienced the manifest Presence of God in their midst, releasing miraculous power and a sense of holiness and righteousness in the lives of the people, together with the certainty that the Kingdom of God was being restored to the nation of Israel. When that did not happen, both `Probation Periods' saw a rapid decline into apostacy, and the fourty years ended with the destruction and removal of the Temple, the only place where God had chosen to manifest Himself in the midst of His people. The people were then scattered and taken into captivity and the land was made desolate.

With these thoughts in mind we would move into our contemporary times, for here once again we see this fourty year Probation Period being outworked in the land of Israel. Once more they are being offered the Good News of the Kingdom of God, but to see the full outcome of this Probation we shall (if the Lord tarries) need `the precious gift of hindsight'. However, with what we have presented here we can also use the precious gift of revelation, so that we may prepare ourselves for what will outwork itself within our lifetime. As we know, in 1948 the State of Israel was established, and many commentators, using their knowledge of the Jubilee Cycle of Leviticus 25, are looking to the year 1998 as being a momentous year for that nation. That may well be so, but our thinking here is concerned with a fourty year Probation Period, beginning in a Temple setting where the power of the Holy Spirit is seen to be present, during which time the offer of the Kingdom of God is once again offered and rejected, leading to a deepening apostacy, at the end of which comes the destruction (removal) of the Temple, the sheep and shepherds of Israel being in desperate trouble as the LORD outworks `His controversy with the nations'. But in this present Dispensation, however, the ONLY Temple where God manifests Himself is a Temple made of living stones, and we would therefore keep our thoughts within that context.

In 1948 there were just two Christian assemblies formed and functioning in the State of Israel. They were what has been described as `Brethren-type fellowships' and were not in any way Messianic Fellowships, as we understand that expression. However, with the taking of East Jerusalem, and the unifying of the city under Israeli authority in 1967, Messianic Fellowships began to be established, and from that date we have seen a consistent and developing growth in the number of congregations within the land of Israel! Since 1967, therefore, we have seen a `purifying' of the Temple, which is now being restored in the Land. We have also seen a growing strength in the confidence of the believers as they proclaim Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. There is a spiritual maturity among the believers who make up the Temple. There is a unifying of a people under King Jesus. There is an understanding of their position as the Israel of God in the Land of Israel. There is a clear uncompromising witness of the risen Lord Jesus, and many are the signs and wonders that have accompanied the words that have been spoken over the past thirty years! We are once again seeing the outworking of the parallel set out in the Probation Periods of the times of Jeremiah and the Acts of the Apostles!

It is a well-known fact that what is termed as `Zionism' (within the context of the driving force which created the modern State of Israel) is wholly secular. The early arrivals had no time for God or for the Torah! The land had to be taken and worked, and they had pride in their own strength and abilities! God was left to the religious Jews and to the students in their Yeshivas, who could avoid doing military service by `serving God'! Nevertheless it has been recently reported that about ten years ago (in the mid 80's) this began to change in a significant way when certain Yeshivas began directing their young students into Israeli society and INTO the Israeli Defence Force. They did this in the belief that by seeking positions of influence they could achieve their long-term objective of bringing Israel into `a more Torah-observant society'. Add to this the increasing influence of the religious parties in the political life of the nation and we begin to see a growing desire within Israel to return not only to the Land of Israel but also to return to Judaism. This Judaism, however, is Rabbinic Judaism, which has no love for `the living stones of the Temple' being built in the land within the growing Messianic Fellowships - and Judaism certainly has no love for the message they proclaim so boldly!

Into that situation can be placed a certain Bill going through the Israeli Knesset this year (1997) which is aimed at stopping the proclamation of the risen Lord Jesus! This Bill may or may not pass into Israeli law at this time, but its very existence demonstrates once again the beginning of an authoritative rejection of the offer of the Kingdom of God, which is being made through the witnesses of the Messianic congragations who compose the Temple in the land of Israel in this Dispensation. As this Probation Period moves on its parallel journey with the two former Probation Periods we have already set out, we shall see an increasing and more forceful rejection of the Messianic witnessing, which in turn will lead to a deepening persecution and a further hardening of heart against Christians, and in particular against `the Israel of God' who live within the land of Israel. We believe this Probation Period started in 1967 and can see that what is now happening is entirely in line - both in the circumstances and in the time - with what we have seen in the examples set out in Scripture, for they were set out as warnings to us so that we should not be caught unaware when these things occur.

In the Probation Period of fourty years that is once again appearing in the land of Israel, we see a growing apostacy, a turning away from the truth of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, as proclaimed by the Messianic Fellowships in the land. This is, of course, not a growing apostacy amongst the believers in Jesus, for they are the living Temple in the land and witnesses for the Lord, but there is a growing apostacy amongst those who are turning to Rabbinic Judaism and away from the offer of a Kingdom which is being proclaimed by the Israel of God. We have already asked: Will the `anti-evangelism' Bill on its way through the Knesset be the final authoritative rejection of the offer of the Kingdom? We don't know, but a rejection will certainly come, and it has to come with the full authority of the nation of Israel. When it does at last come it will lead to the destruction (the removal) of the Temple from the land . . . it will lead to war and death for the sheep and shepherds of Israel, through `the controversy the LORD has with the nations' . . and it will finally lead to the `captivity' of Israel in the Great Tribulation (the Time of Jacob's Trouble).

Those who have read every word carefully will have noted the introduction of the word `removal' when we write of the destruction of the Temple in this Dispensation. It is historically recorded that following the destruction of the Temple, by the armies of both Nebuchadnezzar and Titus, it was so thoroughly destroyed that not one stone was left upon another - and the stones were finally removed to build other structures! Therefore, with the spiritual understanding of how the Temple in this Dispensation is built, we may correctly use the word `removal' when writing of its destruction at the end of this Probation Period, for the catching away of the believers to be with the Lord will certainly remove them, and they will be used to build `another structure'. Its removal will lead into the terrible Time of Jacob's Trouble for the Jewish people, which will cause them to cry out to God: `O, that You would rend the heavens and come down . . . . and so all Israel will be saved'. In the few years that are left of this Probation Period we will not hear very much of miracles, signs and wonders, or of a great ingathering harvest, but the words of Paul, speaking again to Timothy:

" Stand firm . . fight the good fight . . preach the Word in season and out of season . . endure hardship . . there will be a crown of glory for the one who endures to the end. "

We are now left with bringing the implication of what we have set out here into our own setting within the Church, and in particular the Church in the West. We are of course aware that the Church of the Lord Jesus is not confined to the Western arm of the Church, but, with respect to our brethren in the East, the Western Church has been and is still today the `power house' of Christianity. This has been used by the Lord in world-wide outreach in evangelism, in teaching, in prophetic revelation and in generous giving of the wealth entrusted to it. There is certainly a Scriptural precedent for limiting this to the Western Church, for in the two Probation Periods we have drawn out of Scripture both were limited in their historical setting - in the first instance to the southern kingdom of Judah, and secondly to the area of Greater Israel - and we also need to understand the implications of this within a timescale of Scriptural revelation.

We are not intending to set dates, but if what we have set out AS AN EXAMPLE is correct, we must expect to see - and are already seeing again IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL - the events outworked within the same parameters as the examples we have previously given. So often in our `Christian social life' we fall into the danger of using spiritual expressions without the deep heart-conviction that should be there. If these really are `the last days' . . if we are expecting the soon return of the Lord . . if we really are longing for His appearing, and know that as the time approaches He WILL come for us and catch us away . . then when we see these examples from Scripture re-appearing in our own times we MUST take note of them, and know that He is at the very door. Then we shall begin to understand that what is happening around us, in the world and in the Church, is but the last few years of a Probation Period of fourty years - in which we as believers share, having been grafted into the `Olive Tree of Israel', through the New Covenant spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah. This is a parallel journey for which there is no `escape clause'! So with this in mind we would draw our thoughts towards the implications within the Probation Period now seen to be outworking in the land of Israel in a Temple setting.

We have heard it said on many occasions that `something spiritual was released upon the West in the 1960's'. That comment is generally spoken within the context of secular world activities, such as the Hippie Movement or the Flower Power people, with their excessive use of drugs and the consequential promiscuity. Yet if we stop to think for a moment; there was also `something spiritual' released into the Church in the 1960's. To give a title to what happened in those days, we saw the beginning of the Charismatic Movement, out of which emerged the many `ministries' that are with us still today - the Fountain Trust; Kingdom Faith (albeit with a different name at that stage); the Restoration Movement; Maranatha Communities - to name but a few. There was a release of many new songs of praise, such as `Scripture in Song', `Living Waters' and many others. They brought a sense of joy into countless numbers of congregations. Fellowships `mushroomed', and like all mushrooms, most did not last the day. Meetings, conventions, and more conventions, were usually crowded to the door. Miracles of healings and deliverances were everyday occurrences - we need not continue! The years of the mid 60's, the 70's and 80's were times of massive revival amongst God's people. It led to personal and corporate evangelism. A rash of parachurch groups sprang up, serving the Body through books, audio and video tapes. There was a joyful expectancy in the spiritual sense, which spilled over into the everyday lives of God's redeemed people! This revival in the `Temple built of living stones' in the Western Church was as real as that seen in the days of godly King Josiah! It was as real as the time when Peter stood up in the Temple Courts and spoke the words: `Men of Israel, listen to this'! This movement of God also coincided with the taking and unifying of Jerusalem by the nation of Israel in 1967 AND the beginning of the formation of true Messianic Fellowships, the Israel of God, in the land of Israel.

But we also need to remember that this revival, although spread across all sections of denominational churches, was not warmly welcomed by the religious people within them, and those in authority were unable to stop the heart-wrenching divisions that came as countless numbers of people came alive to a real awareness of Jesus under the reviving power of the Holy Spirit! As we have already said, because the Church is on a parallel journey with Israel, through being `grafted into the olive tree of Israel', through the New Covenant, we shall begin to see the same pattern of Probation Period emerging in the life of the Church as is now being seen in Israel. Thirty years on, the early zeal has diminished!

Miracles of healings and deliverance are talked about, but seldom seen. Much more time is given over to personal ministry - which has been given the dismissive title of `carpet time' - and much less time spent on the Word of God. Without a doubt the most awful apostacy is sweeping through the historic churches. The great revival of the 1960's has not lived up to `expectations', and amongst many scattered groups of disciples there has been a growing hunger for sound Bible teaching. Now more exhortations are heard: `Stand firm; fight the good fight; take a little wine for your stomach' and there is less joyful expectancy of signs and wonders following the preaching of the Word!

The pattern of a Probation Period is unfolding in `the Temple of Believers' in the Western Church, and if this is so it will end in the same way as the two Probation Periods we have set out. There will come a final rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit in the `land' of the religious Church! There will come an increasing persecution of those who stand firm, and there will finally come, at the end of the fourty years of Probation, a removal (a destruction) of `the Temple made of living stones' in which the Presence of God has manifested Himself in this age. In Christian terminology this removal is called `the Rapture' . . the catching away of the believers `who are still alive, to be with the Lord for ever'. We do not intend to try to set dates for the Rapture, or for the Day of the Lord - only the very foolish would do that! But we are setting out what appears to be a Probation Period of fourty years for the Church in the West. We believe this began in the 1960's - at the same time as Messianic Fellowships were beginning to be formed in the land of Israel following the return of the city of Jerusalem into the hands of the nation of Israel during a war at that time. As with both examples we have given, it begins with, centres around, and ends with, a Temple setting. Whether or not the Temple setting is physical or spiritual, the outworking of the revival zeal will follow the same pattern - if the examples given in Scripture truly are for us to understand and be encouraged by.

In closing we come at last to our purpose for setting out these examples of Probation Periods of fourty years, as seen in Scripture. If what we have set out is a true understanding of what the Holy Spirit is doing in `the Temple of living stones' at this time, then clearly there is within the Church a spirit of another kind manifesting itself, its work being totally contrary to what the Holy Spirit appears to be doing in this last Probation Period, during which time the Kingdom of God is once again being offered to the nation of Israel, and to the surrounding nations, the rejection of which will lead into the Time of Jacob's Trouble, the Great Tribulation. By setting out these Scriptural examples, which are there for our understanding and application, and by seeing the same pattern emerging in our time, in Israel, in a Temple setting, there can no longer be the `comfort' of doubt and uncertainty over what is happening in the Church, which has led to such unhappy division and compromise. Leaving aside the smokescreen of the more sensational and bizarre aspects of what we see spreading through the Church, and moving directly to the heart of the doctrine behind it all, we view with great alarm the purpose of this `move of the spirit'. If, as we have said, this move is NOT of the Holy Spirit, then the question must be asked: Which spirit is it that is moving so rapidly through the Church? If we are indeed seeing another spirit at work, we dare not adopt a compromising stance and talk of mixed spirits, or of accepting the good and rejecting the false, although that view is held by many who are sincerely seeking to keep unity in the Church. Unless we look for the root and reject it, we shall see this new move submerge, and it will re-emerge in growing strength as it has done for the past few decades of Church history. However this is not to deny God's grace as He reaches out in response to people who seek Him, but that cannot be said to be a mixture of spirits, for God's grace is always at work in seeking out the lost!

The seemingly disastrous ending to each of the Probation Periods arose through a misunderstanding of the purpose of God and of His bringing in the fulness of His Kingdom. In Jeremiah's time there was the sure certainty that God would move against the armies of Babylon, and that the revival begun in Josiah's time would culminate in the nation of Israel being restored to its former glory, last seen in the reign of King Solomon. In the same way, when the Holy Spirit moved upon the 120 disciples gathered in Jerusalem, the same earnest zeal gripped the watching, listening people in the Temple Court - a belief that this was the time when God would bring about the restoration of His Kingdom in the land of Israel. It took Paul, who had been given a revelation from the Lord Jesus, to expound his understanding that the Holy Spirit was baptising both Jew AND Gentile into the Body of Christ - which was to become a spiritual Temple in this Dispensation. The fulness of the restored Kingdom of God awaited a time in the future!

We must now bring these principles into our contemporary scene: With the formation of the State of Israel in 1948 many religious and devout men had their hearts encouraged into believing that the Kingdom of God was about to be restored to Israel, and there was a corresponding move of evangelism in the countries of the West. However, it was not until the unifying of the city of Jerusalem in 1967 that we saw any significant move in the CHURCH in the West, and it was particularly manifested in the new songs of praise that came forth, together with an awareness of a restored kingdom. Many will recall those wonderful songs `Awake, awake, O Zion' and `For I'm building a people of power', and there were so many more in the same spirit of joy! Unfortunately, behind those songs was the pernicious doctrine that lies at the heart of the present spiritual move, which was: There would be a restoration of the Kingdom in the Church, to the exclusion of Israel as a unique covenanted people of God! Throughout this last Probation Period of fourty years, during which the Kingdom of God is again being offered to Israel, there runs another spirital move. It promises power and glory to a Triumphant Church; a WORLD WIDE revival that includes Israel ONLY if she renounces the promises given to her as a unique nation and allows her individuals to become part of the Triumphant Church!

The root of this doctrine is pride, and the instigator of this pride is the great Usurper, for he is seeking to bring the kingdom of this world under his own authority - to the exclusion of Israel, to whom the covenanted promises of the Kingdom of God have been given. If it were possible for his plans to be fulfilled then indeed the prince of this world would regain the world that was removed from his authority when he rebelled against God, and said: (Isaiah 14:14)

" I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the most High. "

We need to ground these remarks in Scripture in order that we might understand the full horror of what is at work in the Church. Only then will we be able to recoil from any association with the work of the Usurper, trusting God to lead His people through and beyond the Probation Period as a more chaste and modest virgin Bride who longs for her Bridegroom's appearing! Paul, writing to the Romans (chapter 11), reveals the spiritual truth that wild unnatural branches have been grafted into the Olive Tree of Israel, to whom has been given the Covenants of God, and together with the natural branches those unnatural branches draw the nourishing sap from the root of the Olive Tree - the root being the Covenant given to Abraham. Paul, writing this time to the Church in Galatia, talks of the Abrahamic Covenant: (Galatians 3:16-17)

" The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say `and to seeds', meaning many people, but `and to your seed', meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the Covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. "

He then goes on to say in verses 26 to 29:

" You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs . . . . "

Here lies the root of the evil doctrine that is spreading through the Church, which is giving grounds for this move of another spirit within the Church today. If the Usurper could remove or destroy Israel there would be no Olive Tree for the wild branches to be grafted into, as together with the natural branches they draw upon the nourishing sap of the Covenant given to Abraham! This move of another spirit within the Church today therefore stands in direct opposition to the purpose of God, for it seeks to destroy, if that were possible, not only Israel but also the Church itself. The Church has embraced this `poisonous snake' to its bosom in its pride of wanting the Kingdom of God for itself to the exclusion of Israel, but without the Olive Tree there would be nothing to be grafted into, and there would be no nourishing sap of the Covenant of Abraham! Paul writes again: (Romans 9:4-5)

" . . . . the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the Divine Glory, the Covenants, the receiving of the Law, the Temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the Patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, for ever praised! Amen! "

It is only by placing this `move in the Church' against Scriptural examples in similar historical contexts - which are there to warn and guide and encourage us - that it is possible to see the unmistakable hand of the Usurper at work in his final effort in this Dispensation to regain his authority over the world, which was removed from his hands because of his pride and rebellion against God. Unfortunately, caught up in this move of another spirit are false shepherds, and they are leading their excitable and gullible flocks into the most terrible danger.

In doing so they are working directly against the purposes of God, and they are on a collision course with Him just as surely as Israel was in the times of Jeremiah and of the apostles, when she rejected the only way into the fulness of the Kingdom of God through acceptance of her Messiah! That collision course will manifest in a coming `controversy God has with the nations', but through it He will accomplish His purpose and bring in the Kingdom of God in the Millennium Dispensation when at last Jesus will reign in Jerusalem in the heart of His people Israel!

There is no question that God, in His own way and in His own time, will deal with this usurping spirit that is at work in His Church, for His purposes will prevail for both His Covenanted people, Israel, and His redeemed people, the Church. In this time of waiting there are those who have seen this move of the Usurper, and they will be strained and tested to their uttermost in their love and committment to the whole Body of Christ AND to the nation of Israel! As we walk out the remaining years of this Fourty Years of Probation there will certainly come THE great apostacy, and many who have been caught up in this move of another spirit will need to know the true love of the fellowship of believers, the Body of Christ, in the years that lie ahead. In the last years of this Probation Period in the Church in the West we will find the same pattern outworking as the two previously mentioned. There will be increasing hostility towards those who are witnesses for the truth of the Gospel! Spiritual as well as natural opposition will increase! Anxiety and isolation will be the battle ground for many saints, for this move of another spirit is powerful and persuasive!

Once again the words of the apostles will bring relief to us as we are urged to stand firm, fight the good fight and hold on to what we have received. That there will be a final authoratative rejection of the true Gospel by the `religious Church' is certain as the fourty years run their course. This will lead to a scattering of the sheep from their pasture and the end of false religious shepherds. Finally there will be the removal of `the Temple made of living stones' and `captivity' for those who are left to face the same Great Tribulation as the nation of Israel will face!

As God moves into the closing stages of `His controversy with the nations' we stand in the certain knowledge that the Kingdom of Righteousness - ruled by the King of Righteousness, upon the Throne of David, centered in Jerusalem - will be brought in, and at last the work of the Usurper, which is so powerful in the Church today, will be seen for what it is!

Even so. Come, Lord Jesus!

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