The Progression of the Faithful
There is a time destined for every man that is known as their day of the Lord. This “day” is our unique designated time of reformation and remaking into a new vessel. It is the formation and revelation of Jesus Christ within us when we see ourselves fulfilling the Scriptures. What a blessing indeed!
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
The plan of God is for us [every man in their appointed time] to fulfill the prophecies written in the book. It is the ultimate blessing when we are given to live those sayings, as keeping them is completing the plan of God. This is the same as the revelation of Jesus Christ within us.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
When we begin to understand the Lord coming quickly upon us; the time is indeed “at hand” and life will never be the same. Today as in every generation since Christ walked the physical earth, the Lord is separating those being matured in Christ from their brethren. Those so chosen and so blessed are bearing the reproach of Christ outside the camp of Israel.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
Heb 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Our prior time being nurtured and taught by prophets, pastors, and teachers in the church, is a necessary experience to prepare us for what comes afterward. To come out of Babylon, we first need to go into Babylon and thus we all wait there until called out by our Lord.
What comes afterward is our day of the Lord, the third and final day of the Lord’s three-day plan to remake us. When the Lord separates us and we enter into the last phase of His plan, this distinction begins to be revealed in greater clarity. It is a tiny audience that can receive what is written here, and only those prepared by the Lord. As babes, we are not ready for the truth of the sufferings and isolation yet to come, and that is why we are not given to know these details until we have been prepared to bear the experience.
Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
The work of God in our lives to remake and reshape us into Christ is a work that we are told we cannot believe even if it is declared unto us. Only the Lord can open our eyes to see it and only when we are ready.
Act 13:40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
Act 13:41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
What is spoken throughout the prophets is indeed ours to fulfill on our appointed day. In our day of the Lord, we are being given to understand the progression of moving from babes in Christ to mature sons of God.
The Called, Chosen, and Faithful
God’s three-day plan for all mankind is amazingly simple once we are given eyes to see His divine providence in all things. We are the temple in which God dwells. The Lord is continually working to rebuild His temple in three days which represents our experience being transformed into the image of God. The Lord’s disciples will remember this truth when Christ in them is raised from the dead.
Joh 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Joh 2:20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
Joh 2:21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
Joh 2:22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they [you, me, those being made faithful in the day] believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
We, too will be given great faith and believe the Scriptures in that day. Seeing ourselves living these three days is the only sign that the Lord is giving those being saved in every generation.
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Every man, like Christ, begins their journey by being called out of Egypt. This prophecy applied to Christ and applies to those He chooses in their appointed times. We all start in Egypt, meaning the carnal-minded world, the seat of power, and the lust of the flesh.
Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Our spiritual journey and progression of faith are these three days. This includes our time being nurtured in fellowship with others who share our faith and passion for the Lord; and also later when we separated from the camp of Israel. Seeing ourselves experiencing these three days is the confirmation the Lord is giving us that we belong to Him.
All the Lord’s people come through the church age to find the truth and subsequently be led by the Lord into even greater understanding. Our time gathered in the camp of Israel represents the second of our three-day transformation. From the many called, fewer are chosen out, and even far fewer are subsequently called to be faithful in this age.
It is a big revelation when we realize all our time in organized churches and fellowships was our time in Spiritual Babylon. We are taught many things there yet are still under the law for the carnally minded doing the same things as those still in the world. Yet the day Christ comes the second time to us is the day we are set free and can be matured in the faith of the saints.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
From the first generation to the last, all Christians track the same journey of being called, chosen, and made faithful in their day of the Lord. We live by every word God spoke and fulfill the Scriptures in our appointed times. The early church experiences become our experiences if we are part of the faithful remnant [the escaped remnant] the Lord is saving in this generation. The Lord has not stopped coming to those He chooses to fulfill the Scriptures in them. When we read things like this passage, it is not history but rather active and living experiences we are fulfilling.
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The sacrifice of Christ in us, the newborn in the Spirit, is always taking place on the third day. It is how and when we are perfected like Christ.
Hos 6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Luk 13:32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day
Each stage of this progression, including our being under the guidance of the church “offices,” plays a big part in preparing us for what lies ahead. Nothing of the Lord is ever wasted. The three staged progression of called, chosen, and faithful is what makes us mature, which every man is experiencing in due time. It is a three spiritual day process that we must live out to become the faithful remnant the Lord saves in every generation.
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called and chosen, and faithful.
Whether we are moved onward from the second day is up to the Lord, who has appointed all things To move us onward, a time comes when we are rejected by our people and become the isolated and scattered pilgrims being led and taught by the Spirit. We must be forsaken by our spiritual father and mother, the elders who raised us and taught us basic truths where we remain under the law.
Psa 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD take me up.
Our time in active churches and fellowships is when we are fed milk and grow, being prepared for greater things that come later.
Psa 22:9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
Psa 22:10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
Elijah, Paul, and the Patriarchs experienced the isolation and rejection of the Gentiles and their spiritual people in Israel. This experience is ours, as our all things written; if we are part of the remnant, the Lord is saving in this generation.
Rom 11:4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Rom 11:5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
The early church we read about in the Scriptures is not an example of a “mature church” and the end state of where we end up in the Body of Christ. We need to see the early church as an IMMATURE church, still needing structure to teach and prepare them for what lies ahead. Several examples in our Bibles cite this immaturity, which is the destiny of every church generation. For instance, Paul was still bowing to the law (taking the Nazarite Vow), Timothy did the same in cutting his hair, and Peter feared offending the Jews if he ate with the Gentiles. We, like them, are going through the same experiences and need to be first raised as babies and toddlers, eventually becoming teenagers in the faith awaiting the day the Lord ordained for us.
The ReGathering of Spiritual Israel to the Lord
Those made faithful in every age are taken from Israel and delivered from the tutors and governors where they have been held. All the prophets speak of how the Lord causes us to enter into His true rest. Here is a sampling from the major prophets that is our experience to fulfill.
Eze 34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
Eze 34:13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
Eze 34:14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
Eze 34:15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
Living out this separation is the Lording bringing us His reward, that is, obtaining the mind of Christ.
Isa 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
Isa 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
It is the fulfillment of the new covenant. The process requires we be scattered and regathered after we have suffered outside the camp.
Jer 31:10 “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’
Jer 32:37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely.
The Lord has not cast away His people. The escaped remnant is the first to be led by the Spirit of the Lord into the way of righteousness.
Isa 10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
We earnestly seek our final resting place in our day of the Lord, knowing the Lord is faithful. We sojourn outside the camp awaiting the regathering.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
Heb 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Surviving alone requires a level of maturity not found in babes and young ones in the faith. Thus the purpose of our Day 2 in preparing us for the Day of the Lord, Day 3, becomes evident.
Destined to be Rejected
To fulfill the Scriptures, we are destined to be rejected by our brethren, like our Lord, Paul, John, and all those who walked before us. Israel rejected Christ, and this, too, is our experience. We should embrace it boldly, standing firm in the faith. The Apostles were not exempted. Notwithstanding all the good Paul did in establishing churches and filling church offices, ALL later forsook Paul.
2Ti 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
The same happened with the Apostle John, who was exiled to Patmos for His testimony of the truth by His own people. You, me, and everyone is exiled by our own people on an island that is spiritually called Patmos. This is because we defended the Word and testified of the Gospel but were rejected. Thus the Lord creates events that cause us to enter into the Lord’s day, the day of the Lord. Then we begin to understand what the Lord has been doing.
Rev 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Thus our Day 2 experience segues into our Day 3, where the plan of God is being completed. All the Apostle’s last letters are written to Israel’s scattered tribes, pilgrims, and strangers. The church was indeed scattered throughout the world by the time the New Testament was completed. Thus again fulfilling Scripture.
Zec 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
This scattering is the beginning of our inward transformation. It is His means to begin our third day, the day of the Lord for His “little ones”. We are now firmly in the hands of the living God. The prophet Zechariah tells us that this means enduring our day of the Lord. Clay in the Potter’s hands, being molded and reshaped by the fire that is the Lord.
Zec 13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
The Lord quotes this prophecy from Zechariah as events and experiences we, like Him, are destined to experience to fulfill the Scriptures.
Mat 26:31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
The second sacrificed goat is Christ’s Christ, who is sent out into the wilderness and henceforth led by the Spirit of Christ (the fit man).
Lev 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness
The goat in the wilderness is a shadow of our experiences as a living sacrifice in our Day 3.
Our becoming the Lord’s priests by these experiences is further confirmation of our separation and isolation from our brethren Israel. Our inheritance is not with Israel, but instead, we partake of offerings made by the consuming fire that is the Lord in our day of the Lord.
Deu 18:1 The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance.
Deu 18:2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
The New Testament confirmation of this truth is in Hebrews. We are destined to suffer for the Lord’s sake outside the camp of Israel as we have no continuing city yet seek the one to come. It is worth repeating often the amazing blessing we are receiving as we sojourn by faith.
Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
Heb 13:14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Our journey has many seasons, and those offices and church gatherings do not apply to all of them. When He comes unto us for salvation (the second time), we need no man to teach or lead us. We are henceforth led by the Spirit of God, who us teaching us everything.
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
The Lord is teaching us and quickening our spirits through everything He is doing in our lives. He is speaking thru events and experiences, not just the written word. The Lord is not limited to the words in the Bible as, indeed, all the things Christ did would fulfill more books than the world can hold.
We are thankful for our experiences with prophets, evangelists, teachers, and pastors. All have served to further our advancement in the Lord’s kingdom. All mankind comes through these experiences to fulfill the Scriptures and complete the plan of God. We are merely doing it sooner than most; it is all the Lord’s doing and none of ourselves.
No man knows what tomorrow brings explicitly. Yet we do know and trust in the plan of God to save every man by rebuilding His temple within them over the three progressive days described in the Scriptures.
May these words edify and bless those the Lord has prepared to hear them.
Pete
