Babylon Rising - Part Six - Waking the Dragon and the Great Tribulation

Joseph Herrin (02-25-2012)

Waking the Dragon

As I was doing some follow-up study on the XXX Olympiad, I came across a further significant testimony of the lateness of the hour and those things which approach for the people of God. In Wales, just a short distance from London, a 6 million pound (by money, not weight) project called Waking the Dragon is being constructed. The project overseers hope to have it completed in time for the 2012 Olympics. The bronze dragon would be 75ft tall on a 135ft glass and steel tower and have a wingspan of more than 150ft - bigger than a Boeing 737. It would be the tallest sculpture in Great Britain.

http://www.thewelshdragon.co.uk/

As Satan’s kingdom comes into open view in the world, the symbols of the dragon’s rule are becoming much more prominent. The XXX Olympiad in London will serve as a celebration of all things Luciferian. Concomitant with the appearance of the Beast Kingdom on the earth will be increased persecution of those who are disciples of Jesus Christ/Yahshua the Messiah. The name Satan means “adversary.” He is the enemy of God the Father, and of Christ the Son. Satan, however, has no power to touch the Yahweh, and his short lived triumph over the Son of God became his greatest defeat. As a result, his wrath is turned upon the followers of Yahshua.

I had prepared an excerpt from one of J. Preston Eby’s writings to share in today’s blog. When I opened my e-mail this morning I found that a prophetic word had been forwarded to me from Awinta Chenoa. It fit so well with the subject of brother Eby’s writing that I took it as confirmation of this message being set forth at this time. Although the words are moderately lengthy, I encourage all those who receive these posts to give them your patient and serious attention. These are words for the present hour. Let he who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

The following word was written by Awinta Chenoa and posted on February 22nd (2-22).

Sovereign God
Pray for the people in all nations of the world. Do not judge the people of a nation by their leaders, for the heart of the government is rarely the heart of the people. A remnant of My people can be found within every nation.
My people are those who have repented and believed, who walk in faith and pick up their cross to obediently follow My Son. Many have been persecuted and suffered torment, even death.
Behold the Hour
My judgment began some time ago, yet many are only becoming aware of it now. Persecution has begun and shall increase in countries unfamiliar with persecution in blatant measures. Behold the hour and the time you are in!
Many in nations that are considered peaceful are beginning to see the start of persecution now, yet many other nations have constantly lived under oppression and persecution.
The great persecution of disciples of My Son in the peaceful nations is soon to begin, yea, for great tribulation (Emphasis added) approaches for the inhabitants of the earth. There is no escaping, for I shall execute My justice and judgment. Many shall perish.
Others shall go forth to bring in the harvest. Then shall multitudes be in the valley of decision; then shall those who flee due to great troubles, begin to mourn for their iniquity. Many shall flee into the wildernesses. Exodus soon begins. I tell My people not to fear. Do not fear or be dismayed; neither be discouraged. Be strong.
Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid neither be you dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with you wherever you go. [Josh 1:9]
Prepare, prepare ye the way of the Lord. Look up to the skies, yet pray for discernment, for the enemy has plans of his own. He is the prince of the power of the air and he shall use the skies to show forth signs and wonders. Many shall be deceived, for they loved not the truth. I shall allow this, for My judgments that were prophesied long ago shall come to pass. It has begun.
Judgment versus Wrath
Do not confuse My judgment with My wrath, for My wrath shall be seen in that which is called, the day of the Lord. All people will come under My judgment, but the children of obedience shall not experience My wrath. My wrath shall wax hot, in fierceness, great indignation and righteous anger. It shall consume My enemies and sinners, children of disobedience.
Day of the Lord
For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
And the idols He shall utterly abolish.
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake terribly the earth. [Is 2:12, 17-19]
Read My word carefully, for again, it is written:
Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. [Is 13:6-11]
Do not desire the day of the Lord. Be sober, be vigilant, watch and pray.
Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! To what end is it to you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. [Joel 1:15; Amos 5:18]
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. [1Pet 1:13 and 1Pet 4:7]
Pray for Repentance
My people, pray for hearts to be turned to repentance, that they will see the truth in believing in the Messiah, Jesus/Y’shua of Nazareth. Selah. Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice and listening (hearkening) than the fat of rams. [1Sam 15:22]
Watchmen, Sound the Alarm
Watchmen, speak forth. Write what I tell you upon tablets, so he who sees will run with it. Sound the alarm once again! Great waters come to destroy; heed My warnings. Listen and prepare, for when the earth is shaken and the ground opens wide its mouth, in the days soon ahead, great destruction and death shall be seen.
A great war is coming and the leaders of many countries shall hinder their people and allow great destruction. They will look out for themselves and those they care about, but not the people of the nation.
My people shall not fear. Comfort My people, love and pray for one another. Assemble yourselves, fast and pray. I shall direct your steps. You shall not walk in fear, for I AM your shield. Out of the seven churches shall come forth those who walk in My commandments obediently.
If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loves God loves his brother also. [1Jn 4:20, 21]
Beware of False Teachers, False Prophets and False Brethren
Woe to the false teachers and false prophets who turn the people to themselves and not to My Son. Woe to those who lead the people to compromise and complacency, who turn the unsuspecting away from truth.
Such as these refuse correction; they harden their hearts against My rebuke. I have stricken them and they are not grieved. They deny truth; deny My ways and deny My judgment. Woe to such as these.
Come out from amongst them and do not partake of their evil ways. Execute judgment and seek truth. Be ye separate and touch no unclean thing and I will forgive you. Beware, beware of false brethren.
I pleaded with them: Turn, turn, turn from all unrighteousness and come unto Me with a broken and contrite heart - but they will not return to Me. Judgment goes forth.
Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executes judgment, that seeks the truth; and I will pardon it.
And though they say, The LORD lives; surely they swear falsely.
O LORD, are not your eyes upon the truth? you have stricken them, but they have not grieved; you have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God. [Jer 5:1-4]
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you [2Cor 6:16, 17]
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. [Gal 1:6-8]
And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privately to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage [Gal 2:4]
Rise Up and Pray
Lo! A fire shall be amongst the people in the areas of My choosing. There is a great power of darkness covering the land and shall greatly increase. The shroud is prepared for America. Pray for London; woe to Britain for the sorrows coming upon her. Woe to the allies of America! Pray; come to Me in humility and prayer. Pray, for the people of all nations are in need of prayer.
Rise up My people and pray. Yea, a shroud is over America and it shall fall. The flickering light is about to go out. A spirit of heaviness (discouragement and hopelessness) has pressed many into a hard place. The wearing down of the saints has begun, but it shall increase as the evil one arises, speaking great words against Me, as Daniel forewarned.
The Weary Ones
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. [Dan 7:25]
There are those crying out to Me, who are losing hope and are impatient in waiting. To My people who are weary in waiting, losing hope, I say: I have not forgotten you. Why stand you there without hope? You are as My Son, for you have learned obedience by the things that you have suffered.
Yet, as Job, you say, What is my strength, that I should hope? And what is my end, that I should prolong my life? Yet I remind you: Behold, My eye is upon them that fear Me, upon them that hope in My mercy.
[Job 6:11 - Ps 33:18]
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD. (Is 54:11:11, 17)
Resist not My Spirit, for I have come to gather you as a hen does her chicks, as a caring shepherd does his precious lambs and sheep. I shall strengthen the weak hands, and establish the feeble knees.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness (with your obedience) and put your trust in the Lord. I am He who sees the end result from the beginning. I believe in you, for I am He who knew you before you were in your mother’s womb. I formed you in your mother’s womb. Trust Me and do not listen to the negativity of flesh or the enemy.
Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Call to Repentance and the Word
Understand the times you are in. Understand the call to repentance; the call to holiness and the call to obedience. Stand strong in faith. I am positioning My people. Those who obey shall take the forefront to speak to the multitudes.
Those who mingle the precious with the vile, the clean with the unclean and the holy with the unholy shall weep, as they are brought low and are passed over. Repent and believe.
Fear not. Babylon is full of confusion and tyranny. Do not give up. Focus on your Savior, Redeemer and King and read the scriptures. The light in many of the church leaders has become dim, for they seek to satisfy the world and compromise the very gospel.
Yet even amongst the church leaders is a remnant, who walk in My ways and My will. They lead the people in truth, far from the traditions of men and the doctrines of demons. They do not compromise with the world.
Unite and Pray
They lead by example and encourage the entire Body to come together as one, allowing each to do their part and operate in their gifts. For this reason, they are rarely noticed, for as each part functions in unity, no one part is exalted above another part, for it flows in harmony, just as the physical body works as one unit. Pray for one for another.
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. [1Cor 14:26]
Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves. [Phil 2:2,3]
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; [Eph 4:4]
Yea, I shall rise up those who shall lift their sword in one hand and a torch in the other, so that those who stumble in darkness can see. Those who desire truth will hear truth. Lift high the torch (light) and the sword (Word of God spoken through you by the Spirit of truth).
Days of My Spirit
The day is fast coming where people will be healed where they are, unlike many of the false crusades today. The enemy seeks to discredit My work, yet in My timing, I shall present those I have been preparing and then My Spirit will be seen in the land again.
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith Yhvh/God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy: [Act 2:17, 18]
Spiritual Darkness
The day is here when seven women (churches) will take hold of one man (they grab a hold of Y’shua/Jesus, yet it is He who chooses the true Bride). They eat the bread of deceit and they cloak themselves with robes of self-righteousness.
The power of many leaders shall be shattered. The dragon desires to shatter the power of My people who walk the highway of holiness, but he shall not. Rise up and take the kingdom, for from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, but the violent shall take it by force. [Mat 11:12]
Great spiritual darkness has fallen upon the land, and the days are fast approaching where the hearing of My word shall be as a famine upon the people. Be not deceived when those who speak of no falling away whisper in your ear.
Shout from the rooftops…remember Cain, Saul and Esau; so it continues, even unto this day. I shall rise up shepherds who will gather the scattered sheep and bring them to the Good Shepherd (Jesus/Y’shua).
Repent, for the Time is at Hand
Temptations have come abroad and into the grasp of many, who took the bait of the silver-tongued devil. They shall fall, they shall fall. Satan has lured them away, offering them what they thought they needed. He has taken time to learn the weaknesses of My people. Repent, for the time is at hand…
He will slice them through as a knife through butter and many will become divided and the division shall be swift. ‘Now you have all that you need and desire’, he whispers, and they fall as did Samson. Repent, for the time is at hand…
He will present himself in a man or woman, if they are not walking in My commandments and abiding in me. ‘You shall be accepted and respected,’ he lies. He offers power and riches to the greedy and wicked, yet the cost is their very souls. Repent, repent, repent, for the time is at hand!
Yea, but I shall rise up those who are considered the most unlikely. The wise shall be confounded by the foolish things and the mighty shall be abased by the weak. They shall be a shock and a horror to the enemy and all who oppose them, for I have brought them through hard trials and testing.
Vessels Unto Honor
Yea, I have been preparing My people. My warriors have been in training, overcoming hard tests and trials. The Bride is making herself ready. Be ready, prepare! The glory, light and magnificence of My Christ shall fill My vessels of honor and their beauty is comparable to none.
They bear much fruit and move in the power and authority of Y’shua/Jesus, which shall and does infuriate the oppressor. It is the last of the last days, as the evil in the end of this age escalates. The horror of calamities shall become unbearable, yet is it not written that the time would be shortened for the sake of the elect?
Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! He who torments the people and destroyed much over all the ages with his own evil armies (demons), coupled with his own evil people, is filled with great wrath, for he knows he has but a short time. [Rev 12:12]
Satan, his evil armies and the workers of iniquity, who follow after and obey him, shall be brought to judgment and justice shall be carried out.
The enemy seeks to come against My people with fury, accusing them always, for He knows that they are Mine. He would seek to destroy them, yet he is not allowed to, as they remain in faith and obedience. They are hidden under the shadow of My hand. He cannot touch their spirit nor do anything that I do not allow. Hold fast.
I will send forth just the right ones, anointing their words, by which I will draw many to Me. Satan does not see the heart, but he has watchers, an army and a government. They work together to tempt My people in their weaknesses, in an attempt to seduce them away, when they least expect it.
He tempts My people to sin, endeavoring to convince them that it is My will. Yea, but I do not tempt My people, nor would I ever direct them towards sin.
By Faith, Overcome and Endure
I am not capricious nor is discouragement ever from Me. Overcome My people, overcome the flesh and its lusts by dying to self; overcome and endure! Those who hold fast to their faith, clinging to My Son, walking in obedience to My word and doing My will shall be overcomers and receive the crown of life.
Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed [Jam 1: 12-14]
For they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and loved not their lives unto the death [Rev 12:11]
In justice, judgment and wrath, this war shall end in victory, for I AM the LORD of the battle. My armies are being positioned and rising up to go forward into battle. Yea, again I say, I AM the Lord of the battle. Selah
End Times Are Here
There shall be no strains of harmony amongst My people, for they shall walk with one mind, in one spirit and in one accord, despite the blackness of night and the evil around them. They shall plumb the depths of My word and I shall reveal hidden treasures to them. They shall walk in the realms of brightness, coming through the darkness victoriously.
The winds will fight together with a dreadful blast. With the exaltation of each ocean wave, the shores of this nation shall be overcome, as a great wall arises out of the waters and pushes inland with no mercy.
These Things Must Be
Fear not the earth changes, or pole shifts, or the stars and constellations, or the earth reeling to and fro as the seas rise, for the earth shall vomit and spue forth destruction. I have forewarned in My word; I am Sovereign. These things must be. The winds of war shall blow across this nation, as well as other nations and great shall be the death and destruction.
Keep the Faith – Trust God
Everything I do contains wisdom and knowledge, for I am not the author of confusion. Fear not, My people, for I lead you as you trust in Me. Jam 1:12, 5, 6 I know what you are able to endure. Keep the faith and hold fast My people. I AM the Sovereign God; none can stay My hand… Trust Me!
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He does according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest you? [Dan 4:35]
And said, O LORD God of our fathers, are not you God in heaven? and rule you not over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee? [2Chron 20:6]
As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all them that trust in Him. [2Sam 22:31]
[Source: http://crossinthewilderness.blogspot.com/2012/02/sovereign-god.html]

The following is an excerpt from J. Preston Eby’s series on the book of Revelation which is titled From the Candlestick to the Throne, Part 18, Companions in Tribulation.

For the elect of God, called to sonship and the kingdom of God, the pressures are increasing, not diminishing. Travail is upon us, as upon a woman with child. To the woman in pain, ready to be delivered, the doctor commands, “Press! Press! Press!” And to you who read these lines I exhort, “Press on, dear ones, for a son is about to be birthed!” Through great travail and pressure the manchild shall come forth and we shall enter into the kingdom of God as kings and priests to reign with Christ. Then all the earth, all men, and all nations shall behold the glory of the Lord on a level it has never been seen before! The many-membered son, the complete Christ, the many sons brought to glory shall bring forth mighty deliverance in the earth! Only those who are brothers and partakers with the exile of Patmos in the tribulation and patience of Jesus shall win the kingdom of heaven. To him that overcomes, and to none but him, will the King give to sit down with Him in His throne. The watchword is — PRESS!

The idea that the “Great Tribulation” is going to be poured out upon the world is a stupidity that contradicts every scripture passage on tribulation in the whole New Testament! Perhaps we have been casual in reading the very words of the Lord Jesus to His own, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). Mark the connection of thought! He clearly did not say, “On this earth the world is going to get the tribulation. (He did not say) I will surely rain out upon the unbelieving, misguided, sinful and rebellious masses of earth the fierceness of my wrath and the fury of my judgment. But be of good cheer, precious little ones, for you will not be partakers of this tribulation — I will come and evacuate you to heaven before that great and terrible day of the Lord comes.” No such optimistic tantalization as this! The testimony of the Lord standeth sure, “In the world YE shall have tribulation.” YE!

Tribulation simply means “pressure,” and great tribulation mean “great pressure.” Everybody, on some level, experiences pressure in this world...

Ah, “In the world ye shall have pressure! But - be of good cheer - take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted, enheartened, inspired, invigorated - for I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD!” The mighty Christ is raising up within the life of every son of God in this new kingdom day of the Lord the victory that overcomes the world with all its pressures! HE overcame the world in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, and now He is doing the same within us! Praise His name!

There is a poem by Louise S. Pridgeon that expresses this so beautifully:

Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length,
Pressed so intensely it seems, beyond strength;
Pressed in the body and pressed in the soul,
Pressed in the mind till the dark surges roll.
Pressed by foes, and a pressure from friends,
Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.
Pressed into knowing no helper but God;
Pressed into loving the staff and the rod.
Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;
Pressed into faith for impossible things.
Pressed into living a life in the Lord,
Pressed into living a Christ-life outpoured!

All across the land today we hear the radio and television preachers convincing vast multitudes of naive and gullible babes in Christ that the saints of God should have the best of everything. They should have instant healing, the most lucrative businesses, the finest homes, the most prestigious positions, the most expensive cars, the finest clothes, and freedom from want or pressure of any kind. Why, they will even bless our billfolds for ten dollars and assure us that, if we will give them one hundred dollars, we will get one thousand in return! Then, wonder of wonders, when these highly favored saints have lived their lives in ease and luxury, they will fly away to heaven at last with nothing to do and all eternity to do it in. And if the great and terrible tribulation should come while they are still on earth, they will be immediately evacuated by way of rapture to spend seven years sitting on a cloud with Jesus eating pork chops, or some other such foolishness. Let all who teach these fairy tales hear the voice of eternal truth ringing clear above all other voices, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world!” I hear Christ warn His beloved saints in these awesome words, “Yea, and A-L-L that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” To all who would reign with Him upon His throne He says, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.” To those who seek the glory, power, and honor of the kingdom of God He declares, “Ye must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” And Paul adds his voice of admonition, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience…”

One well-known television preacher was bombarding the air waves with the tearful complaint that he was being “persecuted” by the press. And what was the cause of his persecution? Why bless your heart, the press had discovered that while pleading a financial emergency and making impassioned appeals on his show for millions of dollars to keep his work from collapsing, he was, at the same time, secretly purchasing an elaborate beach house in California, and Rolls Royce and Mercedes automobiles for his personal use at a cost of almost a half million dollars, not to mention the expensive furs and diamonds accumulated by his wife. Persecution indeed! I am making no mistake when I tell you that this man was not being persecuted for righteousness’ sake, nor for the faith of Jesus, nor for the word of God, nor yet for the kingdom of God — rather, he was being persecuted for foolishness’ sake, and that is stating it kindly. Over the last forty years there has been a bumper crop of these worldly-minded deceivers, and I tell you the truth when I say that such know nothing at all about the path of sonship and conformation to the image of Christ that comes only by the correcting and transforming ministry of suffering, persecution, tribulation, trial and testing.

The shallow Christians and the hireling ministry of the church systems know absolutely nothing about the divine principle of the refining, purifying fires of suffering, or the oil and wine of revelation and life that flow out only through the tremendous pressing and crushing of tribulation and trouble. As long as men’s eyes are blinded to the great and glorious purposes of God for His sons in the ages to come, they will be looking for a spiritual life of ease and a short-cut to glory, remaining blissfully ignorant of the supernal blessings of suffering with Christ. When believers are deluded by the popular but erroneous notion that they have been saved to escape this sin-cursed world and spend eternity shouting and dancing up and down Hallelujah Boulevard to the rapturous music of harps and the fluttering of angel’s wings, then indeed there would be little purpose in suffering during this present time at all, for even if saints were no worse off for their suffering, they would be no better either!

When the eternal Father through His matchless grace reveals to the child of God that it is His Master Plan for the ages to come to effect a universal reconciliation, restitution, and restoration through the agency of a royal race of kings and priests who through trial, suffering, and fierce tribulation have experienced within themselves the sorrows and pressures of this dark world, thereby learning infinite compassion and unconditional love for every anguished, tormented, pain-wracked, enslaved soul of man, then all our tribulation is freighted with divine significance! When we clearly see the sublime and incontrovertible truth that it is through much tribulation that we are conformed into the image of Christ the King-Priest, to reign and work with Him in the plenitude of His wisdom, the perfection of His holiness, the fullness of His understanding, the intensity of His compassion, the infiniteness of His love, the beauty of His justice, and the omnipotence of His power, every son having the mind of God, discerning all things, knowing all things and having the perfect nature, character, and ability to carry out the intricate and infinite will of God, then all our tribulation will redound to the glory of God and the eternal blessing of all creation! Among that perfect, omnipotent race of king-priests there will be no carnal minds, no fleshly actions, no emotional responses, no selfish desires, no self-serving, no weakness, no limitation, no mistakes, no dissensions, no disobedience; but with justice, wisdom, understanding, compassion, righteousness, love and power shall they shepherd the nations, and ultimately the vastnesses of the unbounded heavens until all things everywhere are subdued unto Christ, and Christ shall present a perfect kingdom to the Father.

Now since such glories are in store for the sons of God, can any man longer question why our all-wise heavenly Father should take such pains to bring His sons to perfection? None knows better than He exactly what is needed to transform His sons from corrupt and carnal creatures of the dust to beings of divine understanding and heavenly glory. I have often said that I have strong confidence in the ability of my heavenly Father to bring me to perfection and maturity as a son of God. My Father is a great son-raiser! He was a colossal success with His firstborn! Anyone who can raise a Son like Jesus Christ knows exactly what He is doing and can surely handle you and me, my precious brother and sister! “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings…wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him the name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Heb. 2:9-10; Phil. 2:9-10).

Beholding the glory of Jesus Christ we can understand why the Father takes such infinite care to bring all His sons to perfection! Would you dare to imagine that any of the presidents, prime ministers, senators or members of the parliaments of this present world system would be found fit candidates to straighten out the mess this world is in, bringing an end to crime, poverty, ignorance, violence, fear, deceit, greed, war, broken homes and hearts, sickness, pain, and death, restoring all into God again? Ah, the ages to come will be given into the hands of God’s choicest sons - saints fully developed, perfected through suffering, matured through trial, proven through testing, beyond the reach of corruption, greed, selfishness, limitation, or any such thing. For twenty long centuries the Father has been meticulously qualifying and forming His government for the ages to come by the work of the Holy Spirit in His elect. The hour for the presentation of this government of His sons is nigh at hand!

This great work of perfection is done by the Holy Spirit leading us through the counsels, corrections, and disciplines of the Father. As the pressures and persecutions of this world system come against those who are moving on in the Spirit of God, the very test and fire is our purifying fire! It purges out the dross, making us smaller and smaller in our own eyes, and meek and humble in the mighty life of God being wrought in us. As we surrender more and more to Christ in us, it makes our natural man perish more and more until he is completely dead so that Christ alone can come forth in us.

There is a natural law in human experience that proclaims the means by which the sons of God shall be made manifest. When we want to temper a piece of steel, we place it in the fire and heat it until it is red hot. When it is almost at the melting point, we plunge it in the cold water. It almost instantly becomes hard for perfect use. So God, when He brings us forth as His sons, places us in the furnace of trials and testings, bringing us to the melting point. When we are tested to the breaking point, then He plunges us into the refreshing cold water of the River of Life. Then we become the manifest sons of God!

Not one son of God can escape the process! You can be a nice sweet Christian and go to heaven when you die without suffering or tribulation. But you cannot be a son apart from chastening and tribulation! You can be saved by grace and blessed with all the free gifts of God without testing and trial. But you cannot reign with Christ apart from being perfected by the things you suffer! And, matters not how much revelation we have, you and I still need to be purified; we need to be heated, beaten and pressed! Sometimes when the word of the Lord comes to us our understanding is unfruitful, it speaks nothing to us, there is simply no light. There is no light until one day God places His hand of dealing upon us and so orders our circumstances that we are brought under a certain kind of pressure. Under this pressure we turn to the Lord and suddenly His word to us gives light! Oh, we must have the dealing hand of God! Under pressure and bruising we turn to the Lord in a deeper, more intense way, and the Spirit moves mightily on our behalf to guide, comfort, encourage, rebuke, teach, correct, counsel, reveal, instruct, develop, strengthen, mature and perfect us. In all this the Spirit operates and we learn the ways of the Father! There comes the expression of His grace and glory and power in our walk. Then not only are we blessed, but the heart of the Father is satisfied, and through us creation will be touched by God!

COMING OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION

Life on this earth is filled with affliction, reverses, calamities, heartbreak, disappointment, trouble, suffering and tribulation - everything that breaks and processes and molds the character of God into our lives. People often say, and sometimes even those called to sonship say, “I don’t know why God allowed all this to happen to me!” Ah, that’s an easy thing to solve! He lets it happen because we need it! When it happens we don’t think we need it, it seems that God is unjust or has turned against us or forsaken us. We are like little children. My father used to tell me, when he gave me a threshing with his razor strap for some act of disobedience, “Son, this hurts me more than it hurts you. I do this because I love you!” And under my breath I was muttering, “Oh, yeah! I’ll bet!” I couldn’t believe that! It took me many years to understand the heart of my father, but after growing up into a responsible and mature manhood, having children of my own, at last I understood. That which appears to be unneedful and unjust becomes our crown and our glory when the process is finished and at last we understand! Since we are now His sons, we ought not be surprised at any of the processings which He brings our way, but rather see the hand of our Father in all these things, knowing that in His own mystical and divine way He is working it all for our good and for His glory!

The apostle Peter expressed the truth of it this way: “Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered by the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange - unusual and alien to you and your position - were befalling you” (I Pet. 4:12, Amplified). “THINK IT NOT STRANGE,” the King James Version says - do not be amazed and bewildered, do not be astonished, do not be alarmed or incredulous as though the experience is foreign, unwarranted, unexpected, abnormal, a surprise. It is not an accident - it was PLANNED. It is not a surprise - it was PURPOSED.

People enter into this path of sonship and I hear them saying, “I’ve never had trouble like I’ve had since I came into this walk!” Of course you haven’t. That’s the way it’s supposed to be! The higher the position, the more rigorous the training! “I had it better back in the church system,” they moan. I wouldn’t doubt that one little bit, because God is not at this time interested in either Babylon or the world. His purposes lie with those He has selected, drawing them out and beyond the course of this world’s religion, and placing within them a divine call, a sense of destiny which must be fulfilled. You wonder why things are so difficult, why all hell breaks loose, why as soon as one door opens another door closes, you wonder why you have all the troubles, trials, difficulties, problems, and tribulations, while the way of the religious is not so. Brother, you’re in the furnace - Jesus is being to you what He promised He would be - a REFINER’S FIRE! You are in the crucible of His purpose.

How long will this continue? I would like to promise you some respite, but I dare not. The Psalmist says, “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, PURIFIED SEVEN TIMES” (Ps. 12:6). Seven is the number of perfection! It reveals the great truth that God’s own nature will be produced in the fire. He will heat up the furnace until you have been perfectly cleansed and purified, nothing remaining but HIMSELF. That which the Lord is receiving unto Himself cannot be of an inferior quality to Himself. The gold — ah, it is HIM. The silver — it is of HIM. How marvelous is the grace by which He has birthed us out of His own Spirit, making us “partakers of the divine nature” (II Pet. 1:4). It is like the grades in school, the farther along you go the harder the lessons become!

How long, think you, would it take a workman with a hammer and chisel to crush the ore and extract the gold from the rocks in which it lies so closely embedded? But if they are flung into the great furnace, and fires fanned to torrid heat and the draught roars through the burning mass, eventually a great glowing stream of pure fluid metal, from which all dross and rubbish are parted, flows into the waiting mold. This is a parable of what God will do for us! At first the surface of the melting metal may be dark and lurid - deep orange red, over which a flickering flame shall pass; but, as the process is pursued, the color will become lighter, the dark fumes will pass off, and the metal shall bear the appearance of a highly polished mirror, reflecting the beholder’s face. The process may be long and hot; BUT THE RESULT IS SURE!

Those who love the Lord and long to see His purpose fulfilled in their lives, are willing to accept Him as a refiner’s fire, as a thresher of wheat, as a presser of olives, as a crusher of grapes, and as a scourging Father! We accepted Him as Saviour, Baptizer, Healer, and Blesser; now we are accepting Him as the Lord of the fires! Our Father has made us willing to embrace the means He uses to perfect us. He perfects us in the crucible of adversities. The tribulations He sends us are not punishments for past failures, but divine tools to conform us to His image. Paul’s thorn in the flesh, Job’s loss of all his possessions, family, and health, Joseph’s betrayal by his brethren, his being sold as a slave, and later his being falsely accused and thrown into prison, were all for a divine purpose.

Taken to the isle of Patmos, John was made to see a “great multitude” of saints which no man could number, from every nation, kindred, people and tongue, standing before the throne of God and before the Lamb. Each was clothed in a white robe and held a palm branch in his hand. The white robe speaks of purity; the palm branch denotes victory. Being made pure by the inwrought righteousness of Christ also brings victory over self! Asked by one of the elders, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, with palms in their hands, and whence have they come?” John answered, “Sir, you know.” And the elder said to him, “These are they which have come out of GREAT TRIBULATION; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Each of these white-robed saints had to experience great tribulation.

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that these are the very people who had been followers of Jezebel, the false prophetess, the false ministry of the church systems, who committed spiritual fornication and ate spiritual food that was defiled by idols - by false images and conceptions of God. Were we not all there at one time? To these the Lord Jesus said, “Behold, I will cast her into a bed (of trouble), and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds” (Rev. 2:22). It is interesting to note that the term “great tribulation” appears only twice in the book of Revelation, and neither time does it apply to the world. In both cases it has to do with the Lord’s own people! Jesus said he would cast the spiritual fornicators of the church age into great tribulation, unless they repented. What do you suppose would be the purpose of the great tribulation? Why, bless your heart, would it not be to influence and motivate them to repent! And then John sees a great multitude that has come out of great tribulation. A wonderful transformation has taken place in them through the process of the great tribulation. They have now “washed their robes” and have “made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” They were already God’s people, and were not now washed from the filth of the flesh they walked in before they were saved, rather, they were washed from the defilement of religion and religious systems! As a result of their going through that great tribulation, God’s purpose was accomplished in their lives. Cleansed and purified by the Lamb, they were transformed and brought very near to His throne of love, grace, and power.

Let us understand clearly just who these white-robed saints of God are! They are the redeemed of God who have washed their robes from the defilement of the false doctrines, empty rituals, fleshly methods and carnal programs of the church systems of man. White robes in the book of Revelation denote “the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:8). It is the righteousness of Christ with which they are clothed, resulting in righteous, truly spiritual acts manifested out of their lives upon this earth. All of them have endured the strippings, purgings, prunings, threshings, refinings, and purifying dealings of God and have been thoroughly chastened and corrected by the Father. They are seen coming out of this great tribulation clothed in the white robes of Christ’s righteousness and waving palm branches of victory and praise to God! They are a righteous people, and they are a joyful, praising people! The Lord has led them through the processings of His Spirit, which made them pure and righteous in God’s sight while they walk this earth in the midst of worldly sin and religious corruption. These are the ones “coming out” of “the great tribulation” having their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb! Praise God! It is His own harvest! How many are there? “A great multitude that no man could number.” It is the “great” tribulation because of the “great” multitude! No man can experience more than his own tribulation. This “great tribulation” has lasted throughout the two thousand years since Christ came and began to form His body in the earth. All through the age He has called out people after people, company after company, from the apostate church systems of their day, and now, praise His name, there is a great multitude that no man can number!

It should be obvious to every spiritual mind that the great multitude that no man can number is not the same company as the 144,000 that can be numbered. Not that 144,000 is a literal number, but it is the number of divine government ascribed to a select called and chosen company who reign with Christ upon His throne. As the spirit of revelation and understanding floods our minds, we are left without question as to the meaning of all this. Notice, now, the position of God’s kings and priests. To him that overcometh to be a son of God is granted to sit with Christ in His throne, even as Jesus overcame and is set down with His Father in His throne (Rev. 3:21; 21:7). The manchild is caught up to God and to His throne and rules all nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 12:5). The 144,000 stand with the Lamb on mount Zion (Rev. 14:1).

To correctly unlock this term, “mount Zion,” we need to go back and consider the shadow. Israel was the whole nation; Jerusalem, the capital city. And while Jerusalem comprised all the governmental class, yet in Jerusalem there was only one who, with his household, dwelt on mount Zion. He was the king! His was the highest pinnacle of glory attainable. But that Zion was only a shadow of the true and heavenly mount Zion to which we are come (Heb. 12:22). And of this mount Zion the Spirit testifies, “For the Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it” (Ps. 132:13-14). David was king over natural Israel. Christ is king over spiritual Israel. David dwelt on the natural mount Zion. Therefore Christ dwells on the spiritual Zion! And this spiritual Zion is composed of those who have reached the very highest pinnacle attainable in Jerusalem... the spiritual mount Zion is the “little remnant,” the manchild, the 144,000, the kings and priests, the ones who have attained the highest pinnacle of majesty in the spiritual realm and sit with Christ upon His throne! Though there is a great multitude on different levels of the governmental realm in the heavenly city of God, yet only the kings of the kingdom sit upon the throne and reign from the heavenly mount Zion!

You will notice especially that the overcomer sits on Christ’s throne. The manchild rules the nations from the throne of God. The 144,000 reign with the Lamb from the heavenly mount Zion. The “great multitude,” however, are not “on” the throne - they are “before” the throne of God and of the Lamb! Neither do they “reign,” but they “serve” God day and night in His temple, and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They are a blessed company indeed! They are the vast multitudes of the redeemed out of the age who have walked with God in a pure walk in the Spirit. And, while they are a redeemed and sanctified and spiritual people, they are not the sons of God who reign with Christ upon His throne. They have not taken the spiritual steps that cause them to fully grow, mature, and progress all the way in God to become kings and priests. They have not attained to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Yet, they are the Lord’s own people, precious in His eyes! He who sits on the throne of the Lord - Christ and His many brethren - dwells among them; they dwell in the wonderful, rewarding, sustaining presence of the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither shall they thirst any more; neither shall the sun (the illumination of the outer court) light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall FEED THEM, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Rev. 7:15-17). Blessings are lavished upon this holy people who have “come out of great tribulation” and have “washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

No saint of God can escape the Great Tribulation! You will not be raptured out before it comes, for it is already here! It is not some horrible judgment of vindictive wrath and unrestrained vengeance poured out upon the nations, my friend; it is God’s own process of discipline and purification for ALL WHOM HE IS REDEEMING AND TRANSFORMING INTO HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS!

J. PRESTON EBY


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