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FANTASIES, FABLES AND TRADITIONS

Conclusion, The Holy Spirit

⁴And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. ⁵For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. (Rev 18:)

My suspicions have been confirmed.

One of the reasons for my undertaking the study of Theology and Theologians was to see if the Holy Spirit is present in their teachings. I wanted to see why I hadn't heard of the Holy Spirit all my life except in passing.

I wanted to see if it was just me, that I was dull of hearing (which I was, and am), or if in fact the Holy Spirit was not only left out of the mix, but not even on the stove.

I find the Holy Spirit on the stove alright, but still in a sealed box shoved way behind all the other ingredients.

THEOLOGICAL QUEST

A ball player who can't play ball does not try out for the big leagues.

A chess player who doesn't like the outdoors does not play golf.

A man who does not like to be around children does not intentionally set out to raise a large family.

But why is it that people without the Holy Spirit seem to be drawn to become Theologians? Why is it those who obviously do not believe in Jesus set themselves up as "experts" on Jesus and Christianity in order to lead those who do believe astray?

What I don't enjoy, I don't do unless forced to. What I don't believe in, I don't explore. I would much rather participate in and explore that which I am interested in and enjoy.

But obviously all people do not feel the same. Some people are either masochists, or enjoy deceiving and being deceived.

I will present here a single example. I have before me a copy of the Ryrie book on Basic Theology. It is a very nice book, very well thought out and presented. It covers many topics, and does so quite well. It even makes an effort to cover many different views on a subject (usually missing my view, but that is to be expected).

In the index of the book the Holy Spirit is covered, and in this Theologian's mind, quite well. And before receiving the Holy Spirit myself, I would have thought so too. Here is what he covers:

The Holy Spirit:

His Personality

His Deity

Contrast between O. T. and N. T. ministry of the Spirit.

Blasphemy against the Spirit.

Indwelling

Anointing

Sealing

Baptism into the body

Gifts of the Spirit

Filling

Teaching

Fruit of the Spirit

The list looks rather impressive, does it not? Who could ask for anything more?

But, did you see anything missing? If you, being a Christian, led by the Holy Spirit and having a personal one-on-one relationship with Him (which I assume you do, or are seeking such, if you have read this far into my study), what would be the first and foremost topic you would cover, and make sure everyone read thoroughly?

I would have said; the LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

But "leading" of the Holy Spirit does not seem to be a factor here. In evidence of this, here is a quote from the book mentioned above, using Paul's admonition to practice sound doctrine in Titus 1:19:

"Why study basic doctrine? Sound doctrine is expressed not only in creed but in fruitful living, and holy living must be based on healthy theology."

My question: Who determines "sound doctrine?"

My answer: Not the Theologians!

The study of Theology is a Head Quest.

Christianity is a Heart Quest.

If you want to know what the Bible says, go to a Theologian.

If you want to know what the Bible means, go to a Spirit-Led Christian.

Ask a question of a Theologian and receive a thousand words.

Ask a Spirit-Led Christian and he or she might just point.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not saying this Theologian, or any other is not a Christian. I am in no position to judge that. Nor am I saying this author has not mentioned the leading of the Holy Spirit under some other designation. All I am saying is that I don't find the importance of the Holy Spirit impressed in any of the studies I have made. I don't find an understanding or a respect for the Holy Spirit I would expect to be present in any who would assume a position of "expert" on Christianity.

I find that if I talk to a person for more than a few minutes I will be able to tell if he is a sports fan, a car buff, a music enthusiast, or whatever. And once his favorite topic has been broached, the chances are I will not be able to shut him up, and his enthusiasm will spill all over the place.

Would I expect less from a Christian who has been saved from a fiery pit and given Eternal life with God Himself?

When I talk to a Buddhist, a Hindu, someone involved with est or one of the other religions or philosophies, I am very likely to find myself being sold the benefits of converting to their way of thinking.

But when I talk to a Christian, I feel like that person is embarrassed to admit being a Christian, or even talking about the subject. And if a person does talk, it is about the church, or somebody in the church, or some activity of the church, or the skill of the pastor, or some other peripheral thing of little consequence. But the Name of Jesus will not likely be mentioned except in passing finding it more expedient to get back to the more important aspects of Christianity, their church.

There are exceptions, however. On occasion I find myself talking to (or rather listening to) someone excitedly talking about Jesus and their beliefs, while strongly advocating my need to join him. And what I find interesting, to say the least, is this person usually belongs to what the "conservative" Christians call a Cult and supposedly does not believe in the same Jesus we do!

Come to think about it, that might be the answer! Take the "God" out of Jesus, and He is no longer a threat or an intimidation to anyone, including the World. But neither is He able to save, to redeem, or to send His Holy Spirit by which to guide us to Eternity.

And as for the Holy Spirit? If His name should come up, I usually get a blank stare, or at best some grand acknowledgment accompanied by a trail of words intended to impress me with their knowledge; but rarely do I get any sense of a relationship with Him.

Jesus is a name that stirs emotion. It either makes a person nervous, embarrassed, uncomfortable, angry, and on a rare occasion, excited.

But the Holy Spirit does not affect people in the same way. One reason for this is that people don't know what the Holy Spirit is. Even life-long church members are unlikely to have heard the name but a few time in their life, and then without any passion whatever.

And the World has no problem with the name Holy Spirit like it has with the name Jesus, because they have heard little or nothing about the Holy Spirit. And certainly no one has tried to sell them the Holy Spirit like they have Christianity. I suppose the reason no one is selling the Holy Spirit is because few if anybody has the Holy Spirit to sell!

People love mystery. There something inside all of us that makes us want to learn that which we don't know - especially if it has to do with endowing us with power.

Science Fiction has just such a draw to most of us. And mystery novels have a draw to many. But nothing draws us like the occult.

The occult means secret knowledge, unexplainable power.

And for a Christian, the occult means something else besides - forbidden.

Forbid a person to do something, and that is what that person will want more than anything else. If Adam and Eve had not been forbidden to eat of the apple, they probably would have never thought of doing so. But since they were forbidden, they probably spent most of their time staring at the tree, talking about the tree, and speculating what it might be like to eat of the tree.

The occult is open season for all the world, except the Christian.

The Christian Church, however has one thing in common with the world, and the occult.

Spirits.

If a Christian talks to a member of the World about spirits, any spirits, that person gets excited. They see Casper, or goblins, or some other such mystical apparition.

And so do we when we hear the word "Holy Spirit." We envision Casper hoovering over us, and passing through us as Jesus did the door of the upper room after His resurrection. The thought is rather frightening.

We do not envision the Holy Spirit as a person as was Jesus when He walked this earth. We can not comprehend the notion of having a personal relationship with a "spook" that can wander around inside of us, reading our mind and influencing our thoughts and feelings.

The world can, and would relish the possibility; but the Christian who is supposed to have such, that is to be so possessed, is repulsed by the idea.

And understandably so.

Perhaps part of the reason for this being so is to enable those who actually have the Holy Spirit in their hearts to know beyond a doubt that they have. I know for myself the experience was akin to having ice water dumped over me on a hot day. Or it was as if knowledge of God and Jesus suddenly dropped from my head into my heart. There was no way I could avoid recognizing the experience. It was nothing like a normal day that I could wonder if it had actually occurred.

And from that day on my thoughts, my desires, my direction, my attitudes and everything else about me completely changed.

I don't know if what I experienced is the norm. I hear preachers talk about the experience as if it were just another day, as if it happens and you were not even aware of it.

I won't dispute this, but I can't help but doubt it.

STORMY WEATHER

We, that is mankind, have a way of disputing and resisting anything new. And that might not be such a problem in itself. I enjoy the old things. I like nostalgia. I like history. I have a large collection of old time radio programs. I have simulated antiques in my house. I like old things. I am an old thing.

Our problem comes from, not resisting the new, but from our desire for the new. Do I sound confused?

On one hand we want everything to be the same tomorrow as it is today. We don't want to wake up tomorrow and wonder what we are going to do or where our shoes will be.

But at the same time we want spice in our life. In the past, before the addiction of TV and the computer, this meant Saturday Night. On Saturday we let everything fall to the wind and did what we felt like doing. It was a change of pace without change of life pattern.

We want the old, but we want the new. Got an old small screen I pod? Last year's model car? A 13 inch TV? What happens when you see ads for the new models?

The churches are no different. They want the same, but they want change. New churches break away from the old, but they change very little from that which they broke away from. The banner over the door may be different, but the building will look just the same as the old. They want to feel comfortably homey while they explore new territory.

They want to see the world, but not on foot with a tent, but in an RV that puts a Mac truck to shame.

There have been times in the last hundred years or so where God has poured out His Spirit on His Church as He said He would do in these Last Days. And when it rains, it rains on the just and the unjust.

There were many different reactions to these Latter Rains. Some people grabbed buckets full for themselves, and then forgot it. We might think of these as the one's who took advantage of the healings that were going on in such as the Azusa Street miracles.

Others got themselves horse carts or automobiles and took to the road bringing in Fruit by the thousands. We call these Evangelists. They resembled circus side shows at times, but they were effective.

A few from the past Latter Rain are still with us today, although they are dying off of old age. Jimmy Swaggart, Oral Roberts, Robert Shuller, and Billy Graham being examples of the Latter Rain Fruit.

A few fed their ego or their reputations by the Rains and started their own churches, or ministries, or even what we call cults today. Churches sprang up and grew all over this nation and the world as they were fed by the Rains.

Then there were other, unscrupulous people who used the people's love of the Rains to feather their own beds. If you would like to see a modern day version of this, watch TV.

Not everyone likes the rain. Some people have large umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain. And this would be fine, if those people were not in such positions of influence and using their umbrellas to beat the Rain lovers over the head.

Those in power over the old, established churches did all they could to condemn and blot up the Rain, denying its power, its existence, and its source.

Jesus experienced this when His healings were condemned by the old, established church as being from Beelzebub.

When the "Righteous" are threatened, self righteousness lifts its ugly head.

These old, established churches, many which had sprung up from earlier Rains, behaved themselves like the worldliest of politicians at election time in their efforts to stamp out the pour and the presence of the Rain. It was stepping on their toes, getting their expensive shoes muddy, and they didn't like that. If they had their way, there would have been none of the miracles or Evangelism performed in their dominion.

What does not move forward, falls backward. When we reject the real, we open ourselves up to the false.

Those who reject their Messiah, will fall prey to the Antichrist.

I believe we are in for a Latter Rain, with but a few drizzles to announce its arrival. Will your umbrella be up in order to keep from getting wet? Or will you be as a small child in his first Spring rain and dance in its puddles?

DRIZZLES

Have you ever been in a drizzle? Perhaps you were out for a stroll in the park. It was a bright sunny day and the drizzle was so fine it was barely perceptible. You see others raise their umbrellas, but the light jacket and the hat you are wearing shields you from what little moisture there is in the air. In fact, if it weren't for the umbrellas, you might have missed noticing the drizzle altogether.

You raise your hand toward your face and watch a droplet of water like a tiny rainbow sparkle on the fine hairs of your hand. You watch as the droplet winds its way down the hair, down your hand, then disappears under the cuff of your sleeve.

You kneel toward the ground where you see rivulets of water form, hardly perceptible streams that appear as rivers to the ants that are scurrying to safety.

In but a few minutes you are back home, ready to begin your day's activities. You take off your jacket and your hat to hang them in their proper place ready for their next use.

Then you notice it. You see puddles form on the floor beneath your jacket. You feel your jacket - it is soaked through and through!

You feel your shirt, and your pants - it was as if you had just emerged from a shower where you had forgotten to remove your clothes before entering.

You are soaked, yet you had not even been aware of the rain.

Elijah prayed for it to stop raining, which it did for 3½ years. Then he prayed again, and sent his servant to the sea to observe, and report back to him what he saw. The servant had little to report. There was but a tiny cloud like a man's hand rising out of the sea. That small sign was proof to Elijah that there was a storm coming. And within a very short time the skies were black with rain clouds.

Jesus condemned the Pharisees for wanting a sign from Him, as if raising the dead was not sign enough. Jesus told them they could read the signs of the skies (for weather), but were blind to the signs of the times. It would take a great sign for them to believe, like maybe a lightening bolt striking them dead. They refused to believe, therefore they turned their back on any sign.

Above I said the Elders of the established churches not only missed, but rebelled against the Latter Rain movements. If the established church of Jesus' day, and the churches of the past hundred years rebelled against God's moving upon the earth by His Holy Spirit - what do you suppose will happen just before the end?

Those who stay aware of the Times will recognize and experience the last of the Rains. They will be like the man who followed the droplets of water on his hand. They will be the ones who watched the fine mist form into small rivulets that will soon become torrents of water. They may be totally unaware of the significance of the drizzle, but they won't miss them. And they will be prepared for the warning call to "Come out of her, my people."

Those who go about their daily business, ignoring the light tapping of the Holy Spirit will miss the warning call, and be swallowed up by the deluge.

I believe the churches, all of them, will try their best to keep their parishioners from taking part or even counting as valid that true movement of God. They will have their verses, their commentaries, and their doctrines spread out for the people, flooding them with fantasies in order to keep them from noticing the Rain. They will say it is all a mirage, and will soon pass over, therefore to not worry about it. They will remind the people over and over that before anything real happens, Jesus will come riding on a cloud to take them away.

And the people will listen. And they will believe. And they will sit in their pews while the listeners to the Rain flee for the hills as Jesus had warned us to do.

Like Sodom.

Then will come the flood of hail, and of blood, and of fire, and of smoke. Yet the people await their promised escape.

Until the end,

when Babylon falls.

And they are finally taken away, captives of their own imaginations.

The Jews rejected their Rain, the Former Rain. They denied the Truth, and the Truth destroyed not only them, but their Babylon as well. Thirty years after rejecting the Truth, their Temple, that they treasured more than they treasured God, fell, with not one stone standing upon another.

There is a new Babylon amongst us, and we all, that is all who call themselves Christian, belong to it. Of course each and every denomination will agree, and point at one another the finger of accusation, believing themself to be above it all.

It all will fall. Jesus declared it, and it will be so.

For those who diligently seek Jesus there is a tiny raindrop of Truth waiting to attract your attention. To become aware of Its presence you must put all other cares, distractions and endeavors aside and pay close attention to His leading.

The Holy Spirit performs His work quietly and steadily. He does not waver. If you pause, you will find yourself drifting farther and farther behind. You will think He left you; but you have in fact drifted way from Him.

The Holy Spirit does not listen to the doctrine of men. You can not argue the reasons and excuses you have been taught, He will not listen.

A soldier does that which he is told; he can not reason or argue with his commander. His is to obey, not to explain or justify.

Listen for the gentle sound of Raindrops, and be prepared to follow.

CLOUDS

A cloud like a man's hand.

Clouds speaks of the Holy Spirit. The journey of the Israelites were led by a Cloud that went before them. When the Cloud moved, they moved. If the Cloud remained in one place, they did not move. In the wilderness, traveling on one's own meant sure death. The only supplies they had was that given to them by God in the form of water from the rock, and manna from Heaven.

A Cloud is what Jesus appeared in along with Moses and Elijah. At this time God the Father spoke from the cloud. That cloud was on the Mount of Transfiguration, and not in the sky, just as the Shekinah Glory was when It led the Israelites in the wilderness.

When the Tabernacle was totally finished, and then later the Temple of Solomon, the Shekinah Glory filled the Holy of Holies.

And, when the Christian has been transformed into the image of Christ, that same Holy Cloud will fill him or her for Eternity.

Be sure to follow the Cloud, and don't wait for one to come and pick you up like a magic carpet.

The "hand" speaks of Ministry. The Ministry of the Church is composed of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers (see Eph 4:11). Paul spoke of how important all these were to the church.

For the past thousand years or so, the Church has been crippled and nonfunctional. It is hard to get a grasp on anything, particularly reality, without all your fingers.

All churches have two fingers with which to work. They have Pastors and Teachers. On occasion there is yet another who comes along who serves as Evangelist, like Billy Graham. There used to be many more, especially during the Later Rain movement. But they either fell to the wayside or took their show off the road and put it on the air as TV Evangelists. And there are a lot of these, mostly no more than carnival side shows.

Occasionally you will find churches with Prophets. These are castigated by other churches who don't have Prophets, and therefore don't believe in them. So we might consider that finger twisted and bent over double, only functioning for a few.

As for Apostles, it is commonly believed that there were only the 12 original, and none to follow.

I agree, for reasons I will explain elsewhere.

So we have a crippled hand governing our churches today. Is that always going to be the case?

Absolutely not.

I believe there are people being chosen for particular jobs all over the world today. Just a drizzle right now, but like the small cloud as a man's hand, I believe the full force of God's ministry will be reinstituted and cover the world. The Bible tells us that the Word of God will be preached all over the world. And it will not be the fragmented, argued, and disjointed fables preached in the churches today. There will be a full, strong Hand Ministry preaching the Word of God with force and power. People will once again say; "We have never heard it on this wise before."

GLORY TRAIN

Everyone's trying to hitch a ride on the train to Glory. I shouldn't say "everyone" because there are many who are not Christians, nor even profess or want to be Christians.

However, we should bear in mind that Christians are not the only ones who believe in Heaven. In fact just about all religions do in one form or another.

Nor do all Christians believe in Heaven. The fact is there are a huge number of Christians who do not believe in Christ!

And when you get right down to the bottom of things, there are a lot of Christians who could care less about Christ or anything about Christianity.

Hard to believe isn't it?

A train has many cars, and those many cars serve many varied and different purposes. And each car serves that one and only function and none else.

Our Christian experience here on earth is much like that train. And on that train, like the church, there are various views and functions.

Most people ride in the coaches. The coach is relatively inexpensive so therefore not too much is expected of the ride. There are seats, rather comfortable places upon which to enjoy the ride. You may desire to sit alone so therefore search out a seat in the back where few people sit. Or perhaps you enjoy being surrounded by fellow travelers with which to swap stories, so you sit in the middle. Or maybe you're the type who likes to get involved or be the center of attention without actually taking part in the activities, or having to perform the work, so you sit right up front.

Maybe you like to while away the hours of your journey by using your imagination. Or perhaps you enjoy really laying back on your long journey. Or you might be the type who likes to nod off while everyone else does their thing. If I have described you, then you will probably like the sleeper car.

What train would be complete without the well-to-do? They are the ones who must be catered to. They need to be set apart and placed together so they do not have to be burdened by the humdrum existence of the riffraff. These fine ladies and gentlemen need and demand the finest if they are going to grace your miserable, unworthy train. So for them, you have to provide a luxury car.

Then there are others who come on the ride for all they can get out of it. They are not interested in rest, or talk, or what they can learn from others. They just want. They look around to find what there is available that will satisfy their particular appetite, and when they find it, they take what they can and retreat into their cubbyhole. For these the train must have a well-stocked diner car.

Not everyone on a train is trying to get somewhere in particular, nor looking for attention, nor seeking to serve themselves. Each train has those who are always there, ready and willing to serve others. In fact they would rather serve others than to be served by others. These are the footmen, the attendants and the servants, the ushers. These you have given free reign of the entire train.

There are a few on the train who like to work, but not where they can be noticed. They want to serve, but in the background where they can remain anonymous. These are the cooks, the bakers, the janitors and the maids. For these you have provided special equipment with which they may perform their particular task.

Some people are motivators. They are skilled at making sure the train keeps going. When things start to bog down, they are right there to get the train back up to speed. Without these faithful men or women, the train would come to a standstill. And everybody knows it. These are the firemen, the Elders, and the coal car is their domain, and a shovel is their tool.

Trains must keep moving. But they can not keep running forever without being watched over and given tender, loving care. The wheels must be checked, and the joints lubricated and all the connections inspected regularly. Without these regular checks and maintenance the train would fall apart and turn to rust without any one even knowing it. These are the Prayer Warriors, and the caboose is their station.

What train could move without someone to control it? How can a train be expected to reach its destination with no one to guide it? There are many tracks along the way that could well carry the train far from its intended course. Someone must be well acquainted with the way, and be faithful in their duty to keep the train pointed in the right direction. No one would even think of moving the train without this person, nor would he even consider it making a move without him. This man is the engineer, the Pastor, and the engine is his domain.

When the train moves down the tracks with everyone doing their assigned duties, the train runs swift and smoothly. But when one person refuses to do his or her job, or demands that they do a job assigned to another, the train begins to falter.

Some trains have difficulty understanding the importance of leadership. Some trains have firemen who want to take over the job of engineer. Still other trains fail because the brakemen are derelict in their duty, thinking their job is of no importance.

And some trains, it is sad to say, have the diner car, or the luxury car, or the sleeper wanting to be the lead car. These trains do not go very far before they derail.

With all on the train performing properly, there is yet another problem that may, and I am afraid often does, occur. The engineer may have lost contact with the Control Tower. If this does occur, the train is doomed to be led about on false rails set up to ensnare wayward trains.

Trains, those with coal cars, run on Steam. Lose Steam and the train stops. It can not go without Steam. In order to have Steam you need Water. If the train does not stop at regular intervals to refresh itself with Water from the Water Tower, it will fail to reach its destination. Water speaks of the Holy Spirit.

A train on a wrong track. A train who has lost its source of power. A train who has lost communication with reality.

A train that thinks it is still heading to its intended destination. A train who is stalled in the wilderness, but thinks it has already reached its destination.

A train, lost.

BABY WITH A NEW RATTLE.

It's been nine months since my "conversion" and I haven't slowed down. I feel like a baby in a crib that has been given his first rattle.

A baby loves his rattle. He rattles it constantly. He loves the look of the rattle. He loves the taste of the rattle. He loves the rattle of the rattle. Try to take the rattle from him and you will have a fight on your hands, and a howling in your ears.

Rattles are fun. I wonder if we ever outgrow our love of rattles?

But rattles are just noise if not in concert with other instruments of praise. To a baby, any noise is fascinating. But as we grow older we become more selective of the noises we hear. We love the sound of a piano when played by an experienced musician. But in the hands of the inexperienced, that same piano becomes a bothersome nuisance.

So it is with the church. Without the Holy Spirit, the church is nothing but a baby's rattle making a bunch of noise.

Without the Holy Spirit, the church is just another religion.

References

⁴¹And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. ⁴²So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, ⁴³And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. ⁴⁴And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. ⁴⁵And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. ⁴⁶And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. (1Kings 18:)

¹⁶Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. ¹⁷Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. ¹⁸And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. (James 5:17)

¹The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. ²He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. ³And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? ⁴A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. (Mat :16)

⁴⁵That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Mat 5:)

¹¹And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; ¹²For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: ¹³Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Eph 4:)

¹And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. ²And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. ³For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. ⁴And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. ⁵For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. (Rev 18:)

⁷Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (James 5:7)

¹And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, ²And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. ³And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. ⁴Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. ⁵While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. ⁶And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid (Mat 17:)

³³And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. ³⁴Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. ³⁵And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. ³⁶And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: ³⁷But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. ³⁸For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. (Ex 40:34)

¹⁵See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, ¹⁶Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; ¹⁹Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; ²⁰Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Eph 5:18:)

¹⁶Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: ¹⁷Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: ¹⁸Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. ¹⁹And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! ²⁰But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: ²¹For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²²And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Mat 24:)

⁶Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense. ⁷Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. ⁸Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. ⁹We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. ¹⁰The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God. ¹¹Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple. ¹²Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the LORD hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon. ¹³O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness. ¹⁴The LORD of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillars; and they shall lift up a shout against thee. (Jer 51:)

¹And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! ²And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. ³And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? (Mark 13:2)

²³But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: ²⁴Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. ²⁵And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. ²⁶This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. ²⁷TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. ²⁸PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. ²⁹Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. ³⁰In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. ³¹And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. (Dan 5:)

¹³Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. ¹⁴He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. ¹⁵All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. (John 16:)

⁴For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ⁵And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. ⁷For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: ⁸But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Heb 6:)