Summary
This article addresses the most important question
facing every human being
today:
"Where will i spend eternity?"
Revelation 3:21 "To him that overcometh will I grant
to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."
(KJV)
It IS possible for any one of us to sit on a throne
for eternity IF we overcome.
This contrasts with many verses that indicate that
all people INCLUDING all who
consider themselves to be "believers" will be judged and that
"believers" can
spend a part of eternity in Hell for their unconfessed sins. Other
verses indicate
that believers can spend eternity in the Outer Darkness or can be found
to be
foolish virgins.
On the Day of Judgment the Almighty may also tell
believers to depart from Him
because they were workers of iniquity and therefore He never knew them
and
send them to the Outer Darkness, which Father refers to as "the trash
heap of
Heaven". Iniquity is lawlessness which is disregard for the
commandments.
Revelation 21:8 states "But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and
idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth
with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
(KJV)
Since the unbelieving are specifically identified,
it is apparent that the rest of
Revelation 21:8 relates to believers.
The article presents the Ten Commandments, given to
Israel at Mount Sinai,
spoken out publicly by the Almighty and written in stone by the
Almighty as the
fundamental basis of judgment.
It is suggested that most people today, including
people who consider themselves
to be believers, are transgressing most of the commandments. Many of
them
through ignorance as a consequence of incorrect teachings and doctrines.
There is a continuum of Judgment outcome available
to all human beings which
ranges between reigning on a high throne for eternity to being a demon
on earth
to the Day of Judgment at which point they may be cast into the lake of
fire and
brimstone to be utterly destroyed.
This article seeks to present some information with
a view to making the options
more readily visible.
Reference is made to the book, "The Final Quest", by
Rick Joyner, which reports
that according to the Almighty, in 1995 only 1%
of those who had been called
to spend eternity in Heaven up to that date would do so unless
something
changed. More recent statistics indicate the situation has deteriorated
considerably.
The article presents many verses from widely
accepted texts, primarily the books
commonly referred to as "The New Testament" to demonstrate that it is
by no
means certain that any believer will qualify to hold any significant
rank in Heaven. This is supported by reference to passages in "The
Final Quest".
Numerous passages setting out the requirements to
enter Heaven and to sit on
a throne for eternity are presented. It is shown that this requires a
life style that
is very different to what most people on earth are living. This life
style is also
very different to what most people who consider themselves to be
believers are
living.
Requirements like loving our enemies, turning the
other cheek, praying for those
who despitefully use us, not judging others, walking in humility,
walking in
unconditional love and not fighting back, even when we are tormented,
humiliated, abused, tortured and viciously put to death, are all
demonstrated.
A number of passages reporting visions given by the
Almighty in "The Final Quest"
give clear evidence that many people who believers esteem have only
just made
it into Heaven and suggest that many people who believers expect to
find in
Heaven will not be there.
Various guidelines are given as to how a person who
decides to seek a high throne
in Heaven, might go about this and some prayer suggestions are offered.
This document is a challenging and sobering
presentation of a picture that it
seems that not many people today are seriously considering.
The article challenges every person who reads it to
reassess their priorities and
decide how important it is to them to make a concerted effort to avoid
spending
eternity as a demon on earth, or cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone to be
destroyed in a moment of torment and terror or to be relegated to the
Outer
Darkness, the trash heap of Heaven.
This
article was
originally published in 2004 and is now being republished as the third
in the
series about seeking a Deep Personal Relationship with the Almighty
Creator.
The
article that
follows is also available on my website at:
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/CreatordesiresFRIENDS/WhereSpendEternity.aspx
and
can be downloaded
in pdf format from:
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/ETI_Worship/00_4_Where-Will-You-Spend-Eternity.pdf
The
first article in
the series is available on my website at:
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/CreatordesiresFRIENDS/CreatorDesiresDeepRelationship.aspx
and
can be downloaded
in pdf format from:
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/ETI_Worship/00_1_The-Creator-Desires-a-Deep-Personal-Relationship-with-YOU.pdf
The
second article,
"Seven Steps in Drawing Close to the Creator" is available at
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/CreatordesiresFRIENDS/7StepsinGrowingClosetoYah.aspx
And
can be downloaded
in pdf format from:
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/ETI_Worship/00_2_Seven-Steps-in-Drawing-Close-to-the-Creator.pdf
Where Will You
Spend Eternity?
(What is required in order to qualify to sit on
a High Throne for eternity?)
Second
Edition
1. A CRITICAL QUESTION
The most important question facing every human being today, as
in every
generation, is:
"Where will i spend eternity?"
This is a question that very few people are considering in
earnest.
Revelation 3:21 "To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."
(KJV)
It IS possible for any one of us to sit on a throne for
eternity IF we overcome.
versus:
Revelation 20:11-15:
"11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat
on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
the Almighty {God}; and
the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book
of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the
books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it;
and death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man
according to
their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of
fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire."
(KJV, adjusted)
It is possible to be cast into the lake of fire for eternity.
There are few who understand that eternity
involves a continuum ranging
from reigning on a High Throne with Yahooshua {Jesus} for eternity to
being cast into The Lake of Fire and utterly consumed in the event that
they have followed Satan and Satan loses The Contest
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/TheContest.aspx.
This article seeks to present some information with a view to
making the options
more readily visible.
2. AN IMPORTANT CAVEAT
Many readers are likely to conclude that this article is
written from what many will
regard as a "Christian" perspective, based on the writings that are
cited.
At one level this is accurate, since this is the tradition
from which my perspective
has developed and on which most of my knowledge is based.
However, i have chosen to detach myself from the "Christian"
tradition and simply
to see myself as "a believer in Yah the eternally self existing" (the
Almighty). In
doing this, i am seeking to find a position which is the essence of
what the
Almighty is saying to mankind today.
While my understanding of this position is based on what is
commonly referred
to as the "Christian" tradition, i have increasingly come to understand
that there
are pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that are not really covered in modern
"Christian"
thinking. I have also come to conclude that most of modern "Christian"
thinking
is far removed from the way Yahooshua {Jesus} understood things.
In fact, since writing the first edition of this book in March
2004, my
understanding of many things has changed MASSIVELY. In preparing the
Second
Edition I am attempting to incorporate the most significant changes in
understanding without completely rewriting all that is still valuable
in the original
edition. In particular, while there are numerous references to the
Bible in this
document I have come to understand that the Bible, while a useful and
authoritative historical resource, is NOWHERE near as important as a
reference
work as I thought it to be over ten years ago. See
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/TheContest.aspx
for detailed discussion
of this topic.
In arriving at my current position i have increasingly taken
account of other
traditions, particularly Jewish and Muslim since both these groups are
expressly
seeking to serve the Almighty and also placed more and more reliance on
hearing
from Father directly.
There are also traditions and bodies of knowledge that i am
currently not
knowledgeable about. Particularly in John 10:16 Yahooshua says "And
other
sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I
must bring, and they
shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
(KJV)
There is reportedly a tradition in South or Central America
amongst Aztec or Inca
Indians, of a man, who is considered by some to be Yahooshua, appearing
to their
ancestors at about the time of Yahooshua's resurrection and appearance
to his
followers in Israel. There are other reports of others around the world
looking to
some manifestation of a saviour from the Almighty.
Accordingly, there are grounds to suppose that there is much
that we do not
understand about other traditions, other bodies of teachings, etc which
may add
to the understanding of what is presented in this document.
Accordingly, this message is relevant to ALL mankind, no
matter what tradition
they have followed to arrive at their present position.
3. WHERE WILL YOU SPEND
ETERNITY?
The question of "where will i spend eternity" is a question
that very few who claim
to "believe" and to have some form of relationship with the Almighty
seem to be
considering in earnest.
As far as the I can determine, most of those who "believe"
have some vague idea
that because they "believe", whatever they "believe", they WILL spend
eternity
in Heaven.
There are many verses in the sacred writings that indicate
that this is not
necessarily so.
Amongst the broad spectrum of those who CLAIM to "believe"
there is massive
disparity, diversity and disagreement. They CANNOT all be correct. How
does
anyone know that they are correct?
In fact, prayerful consideration of key verses and other
prophetic documents
indicates that the reality is very different.
The book, "The Final Quest", by Rick Joyner, reports a number
of visions in which
Joyner was caught up into the Second Heaven and the Third Heaven. In
this
book, Joyner reports statements that suggest that only 1%
of those who had
been called to spend eternity in Heaven up to the time of the visions
in 1995
would do so.
In other
words, 99% of those called to spend eternity in Heaven as of
1995 would, in fact, spend eternity elsewhere.
On 17 January 2002, the writer was told by the Almighty that,
in terms of the
present generation, it was no longer one percent that would make it,
the number
of the present generation had declined. I was told that as at that
date, IF the
world was to be judged at that moment, only thirty million (30,000,000)
people
of the entire world population on earth at that moment would qualify to
enter
heaven.
On Passover 2004 (6 April), i was told that this number had
reduced to three
million (3,000,000).
These statistics relate to dramatic changes that have taken
place in the spiritual
realm in the years following the two thousandth anniversary of the
birth of
Yahooshua the anointed of Yah {Jesus Christ}. Most importantly, Satan
was
sentenced to spend 1,000 years in the Pit on 3 May 2003, see
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/SatantoPit2003.aspx
In revising this text to create the Second Edition on 31st
January 2015, Father
says to me that "today, less than 100,000 of the present generation
would qualify
to enter Heaven in some manner if the end were to come today".
The above statistics are given by the Almighty in order to
challenge every one of
us to turn to Him and repent of our sins and our errors. Particularly
those that we
do NOT KNOW are sins and errors. We are called to turn from those
things that
are accepted as true doctrine by hundreds of millions and in some cases
billions
of people and turn to Him.
Much of this relates to the withdrawal of the Grace that has
prevailed on earth
since the death of Yahooshua on the stake {cross} and the ushering in
of the New
Covenant at that time. This withdrawal of Grace was a necessary
precondition to
the Almighty sentencing Satan to 1,000 years in the Pit.
Today, mankind is being required to take responsibility for
what we believe.
We are being called to enter into a close
personal relationship with the
Almighty -- see also the article "The Creator Desires Deep Relationship
with YOU"
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Home/CreatorDesiresDeepRelationship.aspx
We are being called to take personal responsibility for what
we believe and to stop
relying on other men and the writings of other men to define our faith.
We are being called to return to the essential, fundamental
writings, inspired by
the Almighty, both ancient and modern and to hear His Prophets. We are
also
being called to test every word in prayer through a deep personal
relationship
with the Almighty.
We are being called to consider the challenge:
a) Will YOU go all out to seek to please the Almighty?
b) Will YOU go all out to seek to be found to be a "good and
faithful
servant"?
c) Will YOU go all out to seek a high throne for eternity in
the hope that you
will AT LEAST qualify to spend eternity in Heaven SOMEHOW?"
d) or will YOU consume your life believing whatever you
believe at the risk
of being bitterly disappointed on the Day of YOUR Judgment?
Do YOU fear the Judgment of the Almighty?
With a view to assisting each one of us to answer these
questions, here are a few
verses to consider:
Revelation 3:21 "To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."
(KJV)
It IS possible to sit on a throne for eternity, HOWEVER, it
requires that one
"overcometh".
Philippians 2:12 "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have
always obeyed, not as in my
presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out
your own
salvation with fear and trembling."
(KJV)
We are advised to work out our OWN salvation with fear and
trembling.
In other words, simply because one has "made a decision" or
prayed a prayer, or
goes to the local assembly {church / schul / mosque}, or prays
regularly, or reads
the writings {book / Bible / Torah / Quran / etc}, this verse suggests
we need to
WORK OUT our salvation.
Salvation is NOT inevitable, nor is it a right.
A place in Heaven is NOT inevitable, nor is it a right.
Consider Revelation 21:7-8 "7 He that overcometh
shall inherit all things; and
I will be his Mighty One {God}, and he shall be my son. 8 But the
fearful, and
unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the
lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
(KJV, name
adjusted)
Here we see a critical juxtaposition:
a) If we overcome, we shall inherit all things and the
Almighty will be our
Mighty One {God} and we will be His son's (children).
b) Otherwise, we will have a PART in the lake of fire and
brimstone which
is the second death. This says a "part".
In other words, one can go to heaven but FIRST burn in the
lake of fire and
brimstone for one's sins!
Notice also that verse eight specifically mentions "the
unbelieving". This
accounts for all those who are NOT believers!
In other words, the REST of verse eight is speaking to
"believers". It is also
speaking to those who call themselves believers but who do not believe.
So, if you are a believer and at some time in your life you
have been:
- fearful
or
- unbelieving
or
- abominable
or
- a murderer (remember Matthew
5:22 "whosoever shall say, Thou fool,
shall be in danger of hell fire")
or
- a whoremonger (adulterer,
fornicator - Man are you living with every
woman whose virginity you have taken? Woman, are you living with the
man who took your virginity? - Sexual intercourse with a virgin IS
marriage,
if a woman is not living with the man who took her virginity, they are
almost certainly in adultery - repentance does NOT fix this, it is much
more
complicated! -- see the article on The Virgins Covenant for more
information
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/VirginsCovenantlost.aspx
Fornication ALSO includes spiritual treachery - Man, are you
in complete
submission to the Almighty or in rebellion? Woman, are you in complete
submission to your husband or in rebellion? etc)
or
- sorcerers (Are you engaged in
manipulation? Are you praying
manipulative prayers? Are you cursing others by judging them and
speaking out your judgments or in other ways? Are you using swear words
like "damn" and "hell", etc? etc)
or
- idolaters (Who or what are
you worshipping besides the Almighty? Are
you worshipping Yahooshua {Jesus}, a created being? Are you worshipping
"The Bible" as the "inerrant word of God" even though none of the
writers
claim this? etc)
or
- a liar (includes all false
doctrines you have heard or read about and
believed, practice, talk about, preach yourself. Includes all jokes,
"white
lies", practical jokes, etc. Includes what you write for
advertisements, TV
programmes, magazines, books, etc that is not factual and accurate
versus
fiction. Includes if you even absorb these things and speak of them as
though they are true.
IF you are doing ANY of the above, Revelation 21:8 indicates
that you WILL spend
time in the lake of fire and brimstone, EVEN if you make it to heaven,
UNLESS you
have confessed your sin and repented in this life.
1 John 1:8-10 "8 If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we
have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
(KJV)
Matthew 13:49-50: "49 So shall it be at the end of
the world: the angels shall
come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall
cast them
into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
(KJV)
4. A VITAL
QUESTION:
DO WE KNOW WHAT SIN IS? - WHAT IS THE
ESSENCE OF THE JUDGMENT?
Revelation 21:8, cited above, gives us a fairly detailed
identification of sin. Many
other verses provide more detail.
In essence, the basis of the Judgment is defined in
Exodus 20:
Exodus 19:16-20 & 20:1-19
"16 And it came to pass on the third day in the
morning, that there were
thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the
voice of the
trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp
trembled.
17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the
camp to meet with Yah
{God}; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke,
because Yah the eternally self
existing {the LORD} descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof
ascended
as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long,
and waxed louder and
louder, Moses spake, and Yah {God} answered him by a voice.
20 And Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD}
came down upon mount
Sinai, on the top of the mount: and Yah the eternally self existing
{the LORD}
called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
...
CHAPTER 20
1 And Yah {God} spake all these words, saying,
2 I am Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD}
thy Mighty One {God},
which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other mighty
ones {gods} before me. (1)
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any
graven image, or any likeness of
any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that
is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to
them, nor serve them: for I Yah
the eternally self existing {the LORD} thy Mighty One {God} am a
jealous Mighty
One {God}, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto
the third and
fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love
me, and keep my
commandments. (2)
7 Thou shalt not take the name of Yah
the eternally self existing {the
LORD} thy Mighty One {God} in vain; for Yah the
eternally self existing {the
LORD} will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (3)
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep
it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day
is the sabbath of Yah the eternally self existing {the
LORD} thy Mighty One {God}: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor
thy son,
nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle,
nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days Yah the eternally self existing
{the LORD} made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day:
wherefore Yah
the eternally self existing {the LORD} blessed the sabbath day, and
hallowed it.
(4)
12 Honour thy father and thy mother:
that thy days may be long upon the
land which Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD} thy Mighty One
{God}
giveth thee. (5)
13 Thou shalt not kill.
(6)
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. (7)
15 Thou shalt not steal. (8)
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbour. (9)
17 Thou shalt not covet thy
neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy
neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox,
nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (10)
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the
lightnings, and the noise
of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it,
they
removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and
we will hear: but let not
Yah {God} speak with us, lest we die." (KJV, adjusted)
This is the only time in recorded history that i know of where
the Almighty has
come down on a mountain in fire and smoke and SPOKEN to a large group
of
human beings about His Commandments.
Since the people asked that it never happen again, it seems
likely that it has
never happened again.
Furthermore, in Deuteronomy 10:4 Moses (Moshe) states "And
he [Yah the
eternally self existing] wrote on the tables, according to
the first writing, the ten
commandments, which Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD} spake
unto you
in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly:
and Yah the
eternally self existing {the LORD} gave them unto me. (KJV,
adjusted)
The Almighty, Himself, recorded the Ten Commandments on the
tables (tablets)
of stone.
Stone indicates that these commandments will
NEVER pass away.
It therefore seems clear that those commandments are the most
important words
the Almighty has spoken to mankind. It is the writers clear
understanding that
the a critical element of the Judgment and a key element that will
determine
whether a person will spend eternity in Heaven or elsewhere will be
based on
these Ten Commandments.
5. CAUSE FOR CONCERN - NEARLY ALL OF MANKIND IS
BREAKING MOST
OF THE COMMANDMENTS
In recent years, the writer has come to understand that most
of mankind,
including PARTICULARLY the "Christian" "church" is, at an individual
and corporate
level, breaking most of the commandments.
In particular, almost universal doctrines of the "Christian
church" regarding who
Yahooshua {Jesus} is considered to be, the way many view "The Bible",
the
names applied to the Almighty and Yahooshua, the day observed as weekly
Sabbath, the major holidays and feasts, the way parents are treated,
marriage
and virginity (monogamy) are resulting in sins that are affecting an
extremely
large portion of the world population.
Furthermore, sins that are commonplace in "Christian" nations,
like abortion,
advertising that stimulates covetousness or is misleading or
manipulative, "jokes"
(which are lies), etc is seriously compounding the sin of the world.
This is compounded by the false doctrines of the vast majority
of mankind.
All of this adds up to a terrible litany of sin.
Ultimately every person will pay the price for what they have
done and what they
have believed on their Day of Judgment AND for what they have caused
others
to believe.
Hence the terrible statistics in terms of the implications if
judgment was to come
on the world today!
This is coupled with an enormous need for repentance, self
examination and
turning around in order to reverse these statistics.
Matthew 18:14 "Even so it is not the
will of your Father which is in heaven,
that one of these little ones should perish."
(KJV)
6. IS THERE AN
ALTERNATIVE? - CAN ONE ASPIRE TO A HIGH THRONE?
Psalm 111:10 states "The fear of Yah
the eternally self existing {the LORD}
is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have
all they that do his
commandments: his praise endureth for ever."
(KJV, name adjusted)
So, we can start by fearing Yah and seeking to
DO His commandments.
1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of Yah {God}, that
we keep his
commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
(KJV, name
adjusted)
IF we love the Almighty then we should want to keep His
commandments and we
should not find this grievous.
IF we love the Almighty, we should be willing to check out our
doctrines and our
conduct and make whatever adjustments are called for.
IF ...
Are you willing to love the Almighty THIS
intensely - even if it requires
that you RADICALLY change what you believe and what you do?
Consider Jude 1:7 as a counterpoint "Even as Sodom
and Gomorrha, and the
cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication,
and
going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example,
suffering the vengeance
of eternal fire." (KJV)
Fornication includes spiritual treachery, idolatry, false
doctrines, etc.
There IS a place of ETERNAL FIRE, where some (many?) will
suffer torment for
eternity.
The Quran is very much more explicit about the torment for
those who do not
believe and for those who unrepentantly transgress the commandments of
the
Almighty.
There IS a CHOICE!
See http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Commandments.aspx
for a detailed
discussion of the application of these Commandments.
7. IT IS NOT JUST
HEAVEN OR THE LAKE OF FIRE, THERE IS A CONTINUUM
As mentioned above, it is not simply a question of EITHER
Heaven or the lake of
fire.
There is a continuum between the "outer darkness" at the very
fringes of Heaven
where the "foolish virgins" will weep and wail and gnash their teeth
and there are
high thrones with Yahooshua for those who overcome in this life.
Consider Matthew 8:11-12
"11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from
the east and west, and shall
sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the children of the kingdom
shall be cast out into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
(KJV)
So there is a place of outer darkness, for believers, where
there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
Consider also the parable of the "foolish virgins" in Matthew
25:10-13:
"10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;
and they that were
ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying,
Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I
say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor
the hour wherein the Son
of man cometh." (KJV)
Here believers are rejected on the basis of their conduct.
Consider also Matthew 7:13-24:
"13 Enter ye in at the strait gate:
for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it.
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather
grapes of thorns, or figs
of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring
forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth
good fruit is hewn down, and cast
into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done
many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you: depart from
me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them, I will
liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:"
(KJV)
The way to destruction is large and the way to salvation is
strait (constrained,
tight, difficult) and the gate is narrow.
Those which do not bring forth good fruit are cast into the
fire.
Many will call on Yah the eternally self existing and on
Yahooshua and do many
mighty works in the name of Yahooshua and yet the Almighty and
Yahooshua will
declare "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity."
Iniquity is lawlessness, failure to keep the
commandments.
So, one can call on the Name of Yah, pray in the Name of
Yahooshua and yet not
keep the commandments and on the Day of Judgment one can be told "I
never
knew you, depart from me".
Such people may STILL qualify to enter Heaven but will be at a
level in Heaven
that is commensurate with their service to the Almighty and the extent
to which
they have overcome sin ranging all the way to the outer darkness, the
location
furthest from the throne. Much of this is discussed in "The Final
Quest" by Rick
Joyner, see
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Eternity/TheFinalQuest.aspx
There is a broad continuum between those who truly please the
Almighty and who
sit on a high throne to those with whom He is greatly displeased but
who may
exercise just sufficient faith to scrape into Heaven. Yah refers to the
Outer
Darkness as "The Trash Heap of Heaven", He never visits the people
there and
they are NOT allowed into the body of the assembly in Heaven, as they
rejected
Him and ignored them during their lives so He ignores them and rejects
them for
eternity!
There is a similar continuum on amongst the Ancestor Spirits
(Demons) on earth
-- the spirits of humans who die NOT knowing the Almighty, see
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/WhereareYOUgoing.aspx
for a
discussion of the different kingdoms in the Satanic and Demonic realm
on earth
where there are currently over 100 BILLION human spirits. Further
discussion of
this aspect is not relevant, this document is directed at those who
choose to seek
to spend eternity in Heaven.
The judgment and torment in Hell is reserved for believers.
Hell and the Lake of
Fire and Brimstone are where believers are punished for their unconfessed
sins
prior to entering Heaven, see http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Hell.aspx
Satan and unbelievers will be cast into the Lake of Fire and
utterly consumed at
the end of the Contest, SHOULD Yah win the Contest -- see
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/TheContest.aspx
For an indication of the continuum in Heaven consider 1
Corinthians 3:12-15:
"12 Now if any man build upon this
foundation gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the
day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and
the fire shall try every man's work
of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a
reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss: but he himself shall
be saved; yet so as by fire." (KJV)
This passage confirms that our works in this life (what we do)
will be tried by FIRE
and that which endures the fire shall result in a reward.
So, it is possible to live life in some form of service to the
Almighty and yet lose
EVERYTHING one has worked for on the Day of Judgment and STILL be saved.
Consider also Jude 1:23 "And others save with fear,
pulling them out of the fire;
hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." (KJV)
Carnality, the flesh, is something that will be destroyed in
the fire.
The works of our own strength, our own intellect, our own
comfort, our own will,
etc - those things that we do that the Almighty did NOT tell us to do,
will be
destroyed in the fire and we may be saved with nothing to show for our
lives.
Consider also 1 Peter 1:7 "That the
trial of your faith, being much more
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire,
might be found
unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Yahooshua the
anointed of
Yah {Jesus Christ}:" (KJV, adjusted)
Consider also John 15:6 "If a man abide not in me,
he is cast forth as a branch,
and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and
they are
burned." (KJV)
If we do not live life the way the Almighty wants us to live
it and abide in Him
through Yahooshua, we can be cast forth and burned.
The book, "The Final Quest", provides considerably more
insight into this and
some extracts are presented later in this document.
8. IT IS POSSIBLE TO OVERCOME
In the context of earning a high throne or even earning a
place in Heaven,
consider the following passages:
Revelation 2:7 "He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the tree of life, which is
in the midst of the paradise of Yah {God}." (KJV, name
adjusted)
Only those who overcome will get to eat of the tree of life?
Revelation 2:11 "He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the
assemblies {churches}; He that overcometh
shall not be hurt of the second
death." (KJV)
Only those who overcome will not be hurt by the second death
(the lake of fire
and brimstone) - refer above.
Revelation 2:17 "He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the hidden manna, and
will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which
no man
knoweth saving he that receiveth it." (KJV)
We may not understand this today, however, it is presented as
a significant
reward and benefit.
Revelation 2:26-28 "26 And he that overcometh,
and keepeth my works unto
the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
27 And he shall rule them
with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to
shivers: even
as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star."
(KJV)
Those who do NOT overcome shall be ruled with a rod of iron?
Revelation 3:5 "He that overcometh,
the same shall be clothed in white raiment;
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life,
but I will confess his
name before my Father, and before his angels." (KJV)
Those who do NOT overcome will have their names blotted out of
the book of life
and will NOT have their names confessed before the Father?
Revelation 3:12 "Him that overcometh
will I make a pillar in the temple of my
Mighty One {God}, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon
him the
name of my Mighty One {God}, and the name of the city of my Mighty One
{God}, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my
Mighty One {God}: and I will write upon him my new name."
(KJV, adjusted)
We may not understand this today, however, it is presented as
a significant
reward and benefit.
Revelation 3:21 "To him that overcometh
will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his
throne."
(KJV)
Those who OVERCOME will sit with Yahooshua on his throne for
eternity!
Revelation 21:7 "He that overcometh
shall inherit all things; and I will be
his
Mighty One {God}, and he shall be my son." (KJV)
Those who overcome will inherit ALL things and the Almighty
will be their Mighty
One and they shall be sons of the Almighty. This suggests that those
who do not
overcome may NOT inherit anything and the Almighty may NOT be their
Mighty
One and they may NOT be sons of the Almighty.
Collectively, these passages about overcomers
present a picture of
enormous eternal benefit if one overcomes and enormous loss if one does
not overcome.
From these passages it is clear that the overcomers are those
who sit on thrones
for eternity.
Not everyone will overcome in every area and this will result
in a further
distribution of the continuum within Heaven. Some of what is reported
in "The
Final Quest" supports this interpretation although other passages
suggest a more
rigid approach. There are a number of distinct ranks in Heaven being:
- Friend of the Creator, the most senior overcomers -- the
highest thrones
there are -- these people had deep personal relationships with Yah
while on
earth and made MAJOR sacrifices to serve Him;
- Overcomer, as discussed above -- the remaining thrones --
did NOT have
a deep personal relationship but made major sacrifices;
- Good and faithful servants -- NOT on thrones but
immediately adjacent to
the thrones, obedient and faithful in their service of Yah but NO
material
relationship;
- Wise stewards -- further away from the throne but still
esteemed -- these
first four categories are all people who were filled with the Spirit of
the
Almighty at some level, in other words they were NOT virgins;
- Foolish virgins -- further away from the throne, one step
removed from the
trash heap, people who believed at some limited level but were never
filled
with the Spirit of the Almighty. The vast majority of dedicated church
/
schul / mosque going people will find themselves here;
- The Outer Darkness -- far removed from the throne, cannot
see the throne,
the "Trash Heap of Heaven", Yah calls it -- all those who at some time
made
some sort of decision but NEVER made any attempt after that to serve
Yah,
learn about Him, be filled with His Spirit, etc -- the people who are
the
product of the vast majority of outreaches, missionary works, altar
calls, etc
fall into this category -- in fact the VAST majority of mission and
evangelistic work is a total waste of time, just diverting people from
the
outer reaches of the Satanic Kingdom to the outer reaches of Yah's
Kingdom.
At this point, it seems less important to understand the finer
nuances of the Law
{Torah / commandments / judgment} than to understand the broad
principles
and to take a choice whether to make a CONCERTED effort to seek to
please the
Almighty and seek to earn a position on a throne for eternity, versus
taking some
other view of how one choses to live one's life.
It is important to understand that we know so little about the
ways of the
Almighty in this age that simply deciding to seek a high throne is NOT
enough.
One must be willing to pray differently, live
differently, act differently,
believe differently - one must be willing to embark on radical change
AND
carry it out AND live it through to the VERY LAST DAY of one's life!
See
also the article Seven Components in Growing Close to Yah
at
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Home/7ComponentsinGrowingClosetoYah.aspx
for more information.
There is NO guarantee that anyone can achieve a high throne.
We can aspire, and if we truly aspire and truly commit
ourselves to seeking to
please the Almighty in EVERYTHING, there is a basis to conclude that
the
probability of AT LEAST entering Heaven for eternity will be materially
better than
if one aims for a lower target.
- WHAT INDICATORS ARE THERE ABOUT PLEASING THE ALMIGHTY?
There are some verses that give indications of
individuals who have pleased the
Almighty.
Hebrews 11:1-40 provides quite a lengthy
catalogue of people for reference and
indicates that FAITH is a vital component of pleasing the Almighty:
"1 Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good
report.
3 Through faith we understand that the
worlds were framed by the word of
Yah {God}, so that things which are seen were not made of things which
do
appear.
4 By faith Abel offered unto Yah {God}
a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, Yah {God}
testifying of his
gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
5 By faith Enoch was translated that
he should not see death; and was not
found, because Yah {God} had translated him: for before his translation
he had
this testimony, that he pleased Yah {God}.
6 But without faith it
is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to
Yah {God} must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that
diligently seek him.
7 By faith Noah, being warned of Yah
{God} of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he
condemned
the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called
to go out into a place which he
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not
knowing
whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of
promise, as in a strange country,
dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the
same
promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath
foundations, whose builder and maker
is Yah {God}.
11 Through faith also Sara herself
received strength to conceive seed, and was
delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him
faithful who
had promised.
12 Therefore sprang there even of one,
and him as good as dead, so many as
the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea
shore
innumerable.
13 These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having
seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the
earth.
14 For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful
of that country from whence they came
out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire
a better country, that is, an heavenly:
wherefore Yah {God} is not ashamed to be called their Mighty One
{God}: for he hath prepared for them a city.
17 By faith Abraham,
when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that
had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac
shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that Yah {God} was able
to raise him up, even from the dead;
from whence also he received him in a figure.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and
Esau concerning things to come.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was a
dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and
worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made
mention of the departing of the
children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born,
was hid three months of his parents,
because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the
king's
commandment.
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to
years, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of Yah {God}, than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of the
anointing of the Spirit of Yah {Christ} greater
riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the
recompence of the
reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not
fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured,
as seeing him who is invisible.
28 Through faith he kept the passover,
and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that
destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
29 By faith they passed through the
Red sea as by dry land: which the
Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell
down, after they were compassed about
seven days.
31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished
not with them that believed not, when
she had received the spies with peace.
32 And what shall I more say? for the
time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and
of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel,
and of the
prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms,
wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword, out of
weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the
armies
of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised to
life again: and others were tortured,
not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better
resurrection:
36 And others had trial
of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea,
moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned,
they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were
slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins;
being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world
was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts,
and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a
good report through faith, received not the
promise:
40 Yah {God} having provided some
better thing for us, that they without us
should not be made perfect." (KJV, adjusted)
It is really important to notice that at times
ALL of these people suffered for their
faith and made sacrifices. Some more than others.
NONE of them lived according to the standards of
the world in which they lived. ALL of them chose to live life
differently to those around them, NO MATTER WHAT
it cost them, even if they were stoned or sawn apart while alive.
There is a reasonable basis to conclude that the
people mentioned above, at least
at some level, represent overcomers. We may not understand why some
names
are on this list and others are not. That is not the point.
We can learn lessons and we can learn that
service to Yah demands a PRICE in
this life!
Following are a few specific cases:
James 2:23 "And the scripture was
fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed Yah
{God}, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called
the
Friend of Yah {God}." (KJV)
Abraham was called the FRIEND of Yah.
So the life of Abraham is certainly a frame of
reference.
Even if we may think he missed it a few times or
there are things we do not
understand.
Genesis 32:28 "And he said, Thy name
shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel:
for as a prince hast thou power with Yah {God}
and with men, and hast
prevailed." (KJV)
Jacob (Israel) had POWER with the Almighty.
Another frame of reference, even if there are
things we think he may have missed
or which we do not understand.
It is really important that in considering all
these people that we remember
Romans 14:4 "Who art thou that judgest another
man's servant? to his own
master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for Yah
{God} is able
to make him stand." (KJV, name adjusted)
It really is NOT our place to judge ANY of these
people.
A few more examples:
Exodus 33:11 "And Yah
the eternally self existing {the LORD} spake unto
Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
And he turned again
into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man,
departed not
out of the tabernacle." (KJV, name adjusted)
This is a remarkable testimony with regard to
the relationship between Moses and
the Almighty.
In 1 Samuel 13:14, Samuel, speaking to Saul and
referring to David states "But
now thy kingdom shall not continue: Yah the eternally
self existing {the
LORD} hath sought him a man after his own heart, and Yah
the eternally
self existing {the LORD} hath commanded him to be captain over his
people,
because thou hast not kept that which Yah the eternally self existing
{the LORD}
commanded thee." (KJV, adjusted)
David is referred to here as a man after the
Almighty's own heart! And Saul is
rejected after only a few years as king.
Again, a useful frame of reference. David is not
a man whose life it is wise to
condemn or preach against. He may have done some things which we
understand
to be mistakes, however, there is considerable evidence that the
Almighty was
well pleased with David.
1 Kings 15:5 confirms this "Because David
did that which was right in the
eyes of Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD}, and
turned not aside from
any thing that he commanded him all the days of his
life, save only in the
matter of Uriah the Hittite." (KJV)
This brings us to Yahooshua of whom it is
written in 2 Peter 1:17 "For he received
from Yah {God} the Father honour and glory,
when there came such a voice to
him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well
pleased."
(KJV, adjusted)
Insofar as the Almighty saw fit to say of
Yahooshua on at least one occasion
publicly that He (the Almighty) was WELL PLEASED with him (Yahooshua)
it is
clear that Yahooshua provides a valuable source of information
regarding what is
required to please the Almighty and, therefore, by extension, what is
required to
overcome and sit on a high throne for eternity.
Colossians 1:18-20 states the following about
Yahooshua:
"18 And he is the head
of the body, the assembly {church}: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might
have
the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in
him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through
the blood of his stake {cross}, by him
to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be
things in earth,
or things in heaven." (KJV)
Yahooshua is the FIRSTBORN from the dead.
Yahooshua is THE example of how a person can
overcome in this life in order to
triumph, please the Almighty and sit on the HIGHEST throne next to the
Almighty
for eternity.
Yahooshua is therefore THE example to follow. He
has gone before and he has
shown us how it can be done.
And, Yahooshua did this by suffering and DYING
voluntarily despite having NEVER
committed ANY sin as stated in Hebrews 4:15-16:
"15 For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as
we are, yet without
sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (KJV)
So Yahooshua WAS tempted in ALL points like we
are and yet he was able to do
so without sinning.
In considering this point, it is really
important to recognise that Yahooshua was
a created being, the result of a creative miracle, and he lived life
ENTIRELY as a
human being.
The ONLY divinity in Yahooshua was the anointing
of the set apart {Holy} Spirit
of Yah that came upon Yahooshua when Yahoochanan {John} immersed him.
Matthew 3:16 "And Yahooshua {Jesus},
when he was baptized, went up
straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto
him, and he
saw the Spirit of Yah {God} descending like a dove, and
lighting upon
him:" (KJV, adjusted)
Yahooshua also repeatedly went apart to pray to
the Almighty. Mark 6:46 "And
when he [Yahooshua] had sent them away, he
departed into a mountain to pray."
(KJV)
Clearly, Yahooshua is not the Almighty, if he
was he would not need to pray to the
Almighty and he would not have said what he said in Matthew 27:46 "And
about
the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani?
that is to say, My Mighty One {God}, my Mighty One {God}, why hast thou
forsaken me?" (KJV, adjusted)
It is therefore POSSIBLE that we can aspire to
live life to the standard that
Yahooshua set. We may not succeed. However, we CAN aspire.
After all, Yahooshua stated in John 14:12 "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
works than
these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
(KJV)
We CAN do GREATER works than Yahooshua did, IF
we aspire to.
IF we are willing to pay the price!
We CAN overcome to the end.
We CAN sit on high thrones for eternity.
IF we are willing to PAY the price.
- HOW DO WE OVERCOME? WHAT IS THE PRICE?
In order to understand at some
basic level what is required to overcome and what
the price is, we can consider all the people listed above with
particular, but NOT
exclusive, emphasis on Yahooshua.
In order to understand this and
INTERPRET these experiences, reports, teachings,
etc there is a VERY important principle set out in 1 Corinthians
1:18-31:
"18 For the preaching of
the stake {cross} is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the power of Yah {God}.
19 For it is written, I
will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring
to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise?
where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world?
hath not Yah {God} made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the
wisdom of Yah {God} the world by wisdom knew not
Yah {God}, it pleased Yah {God} by the foolishness of preaching to save
them
that believe.
22 For the Jews require
a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach the
anointed one {Christ} executed on the stake {crucified},
unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which
are called, both Jews and Greeks, the anointing of the
Spirit of Yah {Christ} the power of Yah {God}, and the wisdom of Yah
{God}.
25 Because the
foolishness of Yah {God} is wiser than men; and the
weakness of Yah {God} is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But Yah
{God} hath chosen the foolish things of the world to
confound the wise; and Yah {God} hath chosen the weak things of the
world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of
the world, and things which are despised, hath Yah
{God} chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things
that are:
29 That no flesh should
glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in
the anointing of Yahooshua {Christ Jesus}, who of Yah
{God} is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and
redemption:
31 That, according as it
is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in Yah the
eternally self existing {the LORD}." (KJV, adjusted)
It is really important to grasp
that the Almighty's way of doing things is NOT the
way of the world.
IF we desire to please the
Almighty it is necessary that we be willing to live life
VERY differently to the way we may have lived it up to now. In fact, it
is probably
accurate to say that there is no one on the earth today who is truly
living life the
way the Almighty would like them to be living.
We know so little of the things of
the Almighty today that there is an ENORMOUS
amount for us to learn.
What follows highlights some
important points.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Yahooshua
states:
"19 Lay not up for
yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
(KJV)
This is referring to the same
principles addressed previously.
We are advised to do works that
will withstand the fire and that will result in being
overcomers on the Day of Judgment.
In considering this, it is
important to consider that the very word "overcomer"
implies that there will be adversity and that it will not be easy.
The reward is so GREAT precisely
because it is NOT easy.
The reward that Yahooshua received
was so great precisely because it is NOT
easy to live a life without sin, to please the Father, to do the
Father's will ALL the
time and then to DIE a terrible and agonising death by CHOICE!
So, when Yahooshua tells us in
Matthew 10:38, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Mark
10:21 and Luke 14:27 that we should take up our stake {cross} and
follow him,
it is prudent to take his advice seriously.
Consider particularly Matthew
16:24-27:
"24 Then said Yahooshua
{Jesus} unto his disciples, If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take
up his stake {cross}, and follow me.
25 For whosoever
will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will
lose
his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For
what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for
his soul?
27 For
the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his
angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."
(KJV,
adjusted)
This entire passage contains a
number of very profound and very challenging
statements.
We are told to deny ourselves,
take up OUR stake {cross} and FOLLOW (do like)
Yahooshua.
We are told that if we try and
save our lives in a worldly way we will lose our souls
and we are told there is something we CAN give in exchange for our
souls - the
essence of what this message is about.
We are told that Yahooshua WILL
come and we will all be rewarded ACCORDING
to our works.
If one really considers deeply
what this is saying, it is profoundly challenging.
I have certainly come to
understand increasingly that what i have understood
about this passage and many of the others quoted in this document, was
very
shallow and that there is MUCH more that is expected of us.
The piece about "he who seeks to
save his life shall lose it", i have found to be
much more far reaching.
It applies to ANYTHING that we
seek to hold onto in our own strength, our
possessions, our family, ANYTHING that we try and force to remain with
us rather
than trusting the Almighty to either restore it to us or not, as He
pleases.
Abraham sacrificing Isaac and
Yahooshua laying down his life are two classic
examples. Isaac was restored to Abraham and Yahooshua gained eternal
life and
the highest throne next to the throne of the Almighty through his
obedience.
In order to start seeking to
better understand what is being referred to here,
consider again Matthew 6:19-21 referred to above where Yahooshua
advises us
to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven".
This passage is preceded by
Matthew 5:1-6:18:
"CHAPTER 5
1 And seeing the
multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was
set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his
mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed
are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed
are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed
are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they shall be filled.
7 Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed
are the pure in heart: for they shall see Yah {God}.
9 Blessed
are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children
of Yah {God}.
10 Blessed
are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed
are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be
exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13 Ye are the salt of
the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith
shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast
out, and to be
trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of
the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light
a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven.
17 Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
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.
19 Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the
least in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you,
That except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter
into the
kingdom of heaven.
21 Ye have heard that it
was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you,
That whosoever is angry with his brother without a
cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to
his brother,
Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou
fool, shall
be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if thou
bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy
brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift
before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to
thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25 Agree with thine
adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest
at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge
deliver thee
to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26 Verily I say unto
thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou
hast paid the uttermost farthing.
27 Ye have heard that it
was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit
adultery:
28 But I say unto you,
That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye
offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is
profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that
thy whole
body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand
offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is
profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that
thy whole
body should be cast into hell.
31 It hath been said,
Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a
writing of divorcement:
32 But I say unto you,
That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the
cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever
shall marry
her that is divorced committeth adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard
that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34 But I say unto you,
Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is Yah's
{God}'s throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for
it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the
city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou
swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair
white or black.
37 But let your
communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more
than these cometh of evil.
38 Ye have heard that it
hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth:
39 But I say unto you, That
ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite
thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if
any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloke also.
41 And whosoever
shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42 Give to him that
asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn
not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it
hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and
hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you;
45 That 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.
46 For if ye love them
which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the
publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your
brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not
even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
CHAPTER 6
1 Take heed that ye do
not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou
doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they
may have
glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest
alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand
doeth:
4 That thine alms may be
in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret
himself shall reward thee openly.
5 And when thou prayest,
thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they
love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the
streets, that
they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut
thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in
secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use
not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they
think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore
like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye
have need of, before ye ask him.
9 After this manner
therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our
daily bread.
12 And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14 For if
ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not
men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.
16 Moreover when ye
fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for
they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast.
Verily I say
unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou
fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not
unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in
secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."
(KJV,
adjusted)
All the verses that begin "blessed
are" are very challenging, particularly the verse
about "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake." We are told that there
is a great reward for this.
There are many other passages
above that are very difficult, like loving our
enemies, turning the other cheek, etc.
Consider also Ephesians 5:22-25:
"22 Wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto Yah the
eternally self existing {the Lord}.
23 For the husband is
the head of the wife, even as the anointed one {Christ
= Yahooshua} is the head of the body of believers {church}: and he is
the saviour
of the body.
24 Therefore as the body
of believers {church} is subject unto the anointing
of the set apart Spirit of Yah {Christ NOT Yahooshua}, so let the wives
be to their
own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your
wives, even as the anointed one {Christ = Yahooshua}
also loved the body of believers {church}, and gave
himself for it;" (KJV,
adjusted)
Wives are told to submit to their
husbands in EVERYTHING.
Husbands are told to love their
wives the way Yahooshua loved the body of
believers AND gave himself for it.
In other words - wives submit to
your husbands even if they beat you.
Husbands love your wives even if
they strive with you and beat you!
Consider also 1 Peter 2:1-3:22:
"1 Wherefore laying
aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies,
and all evil speakings,
2 As newborn babes,
desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow
thereby:
3 If so be ye have
tasted that Yah the eternally self existing {the Lord} is
gracious.
4 To whom coming, as
unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but
chosen of Yah {God}, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to Yah {God} by Yahooshua
the
anointed one {Jesus Christ}.
6 Wherefore also it is
contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief
corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not
be
confounded.
7 Unto you therefore
which believe he is precious: but unto them which be
disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made
the head
of the corner,
8 And a stone of
stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which
stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were
appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises
of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past
were not a people, but are now the people of Yah {God}:
which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
11 Dearly beloved, I
beseech you as strangers and pilgrims,
abstain from
fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
12 Having your
conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they
speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they
shall
behold, glorify Yah {God} in the day of visitation.
13 Submit
yourselves to every ordinance of man for Yah the eternally
self existing's {the Lord's} sake: whether it be to the king, as
supreme;
14 Or unto governors, as
unto them that are sent by him for the punishment
of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
15 For so is the will of
Yah {God}, that with well doing ye may put to silence
the ignorance of foolish men:
16 As free, and not
using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the
servants of Yah {God}.
17 Honour all men. Love
the brotherhood. Fear Yah {God}. Honour the king.
18 Servants,
be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the
good and gentle, but also to the froward.
19 For this
is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward Yah {God}
endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what glory is it,
if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it
patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye
take it patiently, this
is acceptable with Yah {God}.
21 For even hereunto
were ye called: because the anointed one {Christ =
Yahooshua} also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that
ye should
follow his steps:
22 Who
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who,
when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he
threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
24 Who his own self bare
our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being
dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were
healed.
25 For ye were as sheep
going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd
and overseer {Bishop} of your souls.
CHAPTER 3
1 Likewise,
ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if
any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the
conversation of the wives;
2 While they behold your
chaste conversation coupled with fear.
3 Whose adorning let it
not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and
of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4 But let it be the
hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of
Yah {God}
of great price.
5 For after this manner
in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in
Yah {God}, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own
husbands:
6 Even as Sara obeyed
Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are,
as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any
amazement.
7 Likewise, ye husbands,
dwell with them according to knowledge,
giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel,
and as being heirs
together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not
hindered.
8 Finally, be ye all of
one mind, having compassion one of another, love as
brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9 Not
rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise
blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit
a
blessing.
10 For he
that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his
tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew evil,
and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12 For the eyes of Yah
the eternally self existing {the Lord} are over the
righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of
Yah the
eternally self existing {the Lord} is against them that do evil.
13 And who is he that
will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
14 But and if
ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not
afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15 But sanctify Yah the
eternally self existing {the Lord} Mighty One {God} in
your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that
asketh you
a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16 Having a good
conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of
evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good
conversation in the
anointing of the set apart Spirit of Yah {Christ}.
17 For it
is better, if the will of Yah {God} be so, that ye suffer for well
doing, than for evil doing.
18 For
the anointed one {Christ} also hath once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to Yah {God}, being put to
death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went
and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the longsuffering of Yah
{God} waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing,
wherein few,
that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21 The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the
putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience toward
Yah {God},) by the resurrection of Yahooshua the anointed of Yah {Jesus
Christ}:
22 Who is gone into
heaven, and is on the right hand of Yah {God}; angels and
authorities and powers being made subject unto him." (KJV,
adjusted)
Again, some enormously challenging
verses.
We are advised to follow after
Yahooshua and to suffer for doing good, no matter
how unjustly we are treated.
Wives are advised to submit to
their husbands without a word, EVEN if their
husbands treat them the way Yahooshua was treated when he was taken
prisoner
and put to death. So wives arguing with, questioning or judging their
husbands
is NOT an option.
We are all advised to submit to
the authorities whether they are just or unjust. So, believers opposing
the government of the day (other than democratically), or
condemning the government of the day or leading protest marches or
"freedom
fighters" does not fit.
There is a big component embedded
in all of this which relates simply to
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
Unconditional love
to wife, to husband, to neighbours, to enemies - there
are NO EXCUSES, NO explanations, NO justifications ONLY LOVE!
Summed up by Yahooshua's words on
the stake {cross} "Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do"
Luke 23:33-34 "33 And
when they were come to the place, which is called
Calvary, there they executed him on a stake {crucified him}, and the
malefactors,
one on the right hand, and the other on the left. 34 Then said
Yahooshua
{Jesus}, Father, forgive them; for they know not what
they do. And they
parted his raiment, and cast lots." (KJV, adjusted)
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 defines
charity or covenant love (Greek agape, Hebrew
chesed):
"1 Though I speak with
the tongues of men and of angels, and have not chesed
{charity}, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the
gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and
all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove
mountains, and
have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow
all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my
body to be burned, and have not chesed {charity}, it profiteth me
nothing.
4 Chesed
{Charity} suffereth long, and is kind; chesed {charity}
envieth not; chesed {charity} vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth
not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth
all things.
8 Chesed
{charity} never faileth: but whether there be
prophecies, they
shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there
be
knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part,
and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which
is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away.
11 When I was a child, I
spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as
a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now
we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now
I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth
faith, hope, chesed {charity}, these three; but the
greatest of these is chesed {charity}." (KJV)
In many respects, verses 4 to 7
summarise much of what has been presented
above.
Much of this may seem simple, one
may even pay "lip service" to many of these
principles.
However, in my own experience, i
very seldom manage to walk in much of this for
very long and it increasingly is apparent that most believers
experience the same
difficulty.
This becomes particularly apparent
when one chooses to walk in the difficult
truths that not many people are talking about AND then finds oneself
being
attacked verbally and spiritually.
Fundamentally, it seems that the
essence of this message is about really
understanding WHY those who sit on thrones for eternity are referred to
as
"overcomers". Grasping what that means in one's own life. At least at
some
basic level. And then choosing to live life that way anyway - which
means first
and foremost praying prayers like:
"Father please show me the level
of my present deception and how to correct it".
"Father please judge me severely
and correct me harshly so that i may serve you
more perfectly".
"Father please bring the people
you want into my life and take the people you
don't want in my life out".
"Father please open the doors that
you want opened in my life and close the doors
that you want closed".
"Father please help me to lead a
life that is pleasing to you in every way, every
day".
"Father please guide me by your
Spirit in every possible way every micro-second
of every day".
Another very important prayer -
based on Galatians 2:20 "Father please let me
be put to death with Yahooshua; nevertheless let me live; yet not i,
but let the
anointing of your set apart Spirit live in me: and the life which i now
live in the
flesh let me live by the faith of Yahooshua who loved me, and gave
himself for
me." (based on the KJV)
Galatians 2:20 reads "I
am put to death {crucified} with the anointed one {Christ
= Yahooshua}: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but the anointing of the
Spirit of Yah
{Christ NOT Yahooshua} liveth in me: and the life which I now live in
the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of Yah {God}, who loved me, and gave
himself for
me." (KJV, adjusted)
Only pray the above prayer IF you
are REALLY committed AND you are in a stable
relationship -- the above prayer can literally kill you in time if you
pray it regularly
and then get into sin, join yourself to someone sexully who is NOT
anointed, get
into fear, depression, anger, etc.
and then:
PRAYING whatever the Spirit of the
Almighty leads you to pray.
DOING whatever the Spirit of the
Almighty leads you to do, no matter how
uncomfortable, how unconventional, how much you don't want to do it,
how much
it offends you or hurts you or upsets your friends or your family or
your wife or
...
2 Corinthians 5:7 "For
we walk by faith, not by sight:" (KJV)
Proverbs 3:5-8
"5 Trust in Yah the
eternally self existing {the LORD} with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all
thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not
wise in thine own eyes: fear Yah the eternally self
existing {the
LORD}, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to
thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." (KJV, adjusted)
There is so much that we do not
even begin to understand.
We cannot figure this out in our
own understanding or based on what we see with
our natural minds.
We can only accomplish anything of
worth in this life if we choose to be TOTALLY
led by the Spirit of the Almighty and do the best we can each day to
hear His
voice, be led by His Spirit, to seek His guiding hand, etc.
The more that we can come to a
realisation that we can do NO GOOD THING in
our own strength, the more we are likely to please Him and come to
close
relationship with Him. Consider Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all
as an unclean thing,
and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf;
and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (KJV)
There is much more that could be
written, however, it is hoped that this gives
some indication.
- SOME CHALLENGING PASSAGES
FROM THE FINAL QUEST
Insofar as many do
not consider the book, "The Final Quest" by Rick Joyner to
have the same authority as the texts cited above, it was considered
appropriate
to cite passages from The Final Quest in a separate section.
While the writer has
doctrinal concerns with regard to certain passages in "The
Final Quest", the writer has been told by the Almighty that much of
what is
presented in "The Final Quest" is based on information given by the
Almighty in
a series of visions. "The Final Quest" is therefore a valid and
valuable resource
from which we can prayerfully increase our understanding of the Kingdom
of the
Almighty, His way of doing things and that which is still to come,
particularly the
Day of Judgment.
In the text that
follows, various quotes and summaries from "The Final Quest" are
presented in support of the overall thesis of this article.
All quotations and
references are from the 1996 printing by Whitaker House,
30 Hunt Valley Circle, New Kensington, PA 15068. ISBN:
0-88368-478-0. The
book is available in many book stores and over the Internet, including
at Eagle
Star Ministries, the ministry of Rick Joyner, at http://www.eaglestar.org
and at
Amazon.com it is also available at
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Eternity/TheFinalQuest.aspx
There are MANY
passages in "The Final Quest" that deliver hard and challenging
messages about the way that we understand the ways of the Almighty.
Readers are
encouraged to read "The Final Quest", particularly from Part IV
onwards. It is preferable, however, to read the entire book.
Numbers of the form
"23 (1)" are page numbers (23) and paragraph numbers
((1)) on the page in the edition of "The Final Quest" referred to above.
In all quotations
words like "God" and "the Lord" have been substituted using the
words that i understand to be more pleasing to the Almighty in
accordance with
the same conventions used in this document thus far.
THE
BATTLE
In one of the early
visions, Joyner reports the commencement of a major battle
between the forces of darkness and the servants of the Almighty.
In 22 (3) Joyner
reports that there were "many more Christians being used by
the
evil one than in the army of Yah {the Lord}".
This is a really
important observation in terms of the basic theme of this article. A
large proportion of those who consider themselves to be believers are
not
serving the Almighty at present. The problem was severe in 1995, when
the
vision was given, it has become considerably more severe since then.
Later in the
visions, Joyner sees increasing numbers of people realising they have
been deceived and changing sides. This article is presented to assist
people to do
this.
In 23 (1) Joyner
reports that the majority of the soldiers in the army of Yah were
"women and children".
Again, this is an
important observation in terms of the body of believers at
present. Many of the adult men who appear to be serving the Almighty
are not
doing so in a place of submission to the Almighty.
This suggests also
that ALL of us who are men should check out very prayerfully
where we REALLY stand with the Almighty!
This observation
should also be considered in the light of Isaiah 4:1-5:
"1 And in
that day seven women shall take hold of one man,
saying, We
will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called
by thy
name, to take away our reproach.
2 In that
day shall the branch of Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD}
be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be
excellent and comely
for them that are escaped of Israel.
3 And it
shall come to pass, that he that is left
in Zion, and he that
remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every
one that is written
among the living in Jerusalem:
4 When Yah
{the Lord} shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of
Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from
the midst thereof
by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
5 And Yah
the eternally self existing {the LORD} will create upon every
dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and
smoke by
day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory
shall be a
defence." (KJV, adjusted)
This passage is
speaking about the end of the age when the Almighty shall
cleanse the body of believers by fire. It is my understanding that this
period has
now commenced. The Almighty has also indicated that verse 1 indicates
that in
these days there will be SEVEN times as many women as men in the body
of true
believers. That is believers as judged by the Almighty, NOT as we judge
it.
He has also shown me
that many of these women are in spiritually desperate
circumstances and desperately need the covering of a man who fears Yah.
There
are not nearly enough of such men to go round and most of the men who
fall into
this category do not understand their responsibilities. I have also
found that it is
psychologically, emotionally and socially impossible for women raised
under
monogamy to share a man so the vast majority of believing women must
either
remain single and celibate or marry unbelievers, which Yah forbids see
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/SingleWomenbelievers7xmen.aspx
THE
ARMOUR
In 22 (4) Joyner
also reports that very few of those in the army of Yah had on all
their armour and those that did had very small shields (faith).
In 23 (1) he reports
that "few of those who were fully armed were adequately
trained to use their arms".
This is a reference
to Ephesians 6:10-18:
"10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in Yah the eternally self existing {the
Lord},
and in the power of his might.
11 Put
on the whole armour of Yah {God}, that ye may be able to
stand
against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of Yah
{God}, that ye may
be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,
and having on
the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And
your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace;
16 Above
all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which
is the word of Yah {God}:
18 Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints;" (KJV,
adjusted)
It is really
important to pray regularly for guidance to walk in the fullness of
what
this passage represents. It is also important to realise that
components of the
armour can be lost or damaged. This is what the metaphor tells us and
is
confirmed in "The Final Quest".
See
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/DemonicMastermindsDirect.aspx
to better understand the forces of darkness against which the battle is
directed.
In 33 (2) Joyner
reports an incident in which the Spirit of the Almighty, embodied
in the vision as "Wisdom", one of the seven Spirits of the Almighty,
prevents
Joyner from falling off the mountain of Yah and reminds Joyner of
1 Corinthians
10:12 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he
standeth take heed lest he fall."
(KJV)
"The Final Quest"
offers a number of references to this verse in the context that
when we become confident of our place with the Almighty or have a major
victory,
we are most likely to fall. The visions and metaphors in the book also
indicate
that such a fall can be dramatic.
For example, it is
indicated that pride can result in a person who has won a
mighty victory for the Almighty being taken prisoner by the enemy
immediately
thereafter.
Pages 34 and 35 make
particular reference to "The Father's Unconditional Love".
This ties in with the passages cited previously in terms of walking in
unconditional
love. This is extremely important AND extremely challenging.
On page 45 reference
is made to the Third Heaven and it is stated that it is
wisdom to seek to know about the Third Heaven. It is also stated that
there is
much more to learn than can be learned in this life. This entire
message is
essentially about what is required in order to be an overcomer in the
era of the
Third Heaven with some reference to what that looks like.
Pages 46 and 47 make
particular reference to knowing both the love and the
severity of the Almighty where His severity is represented by His
Judgments. We
are advised to fear the Judgments of the Almighty AS WELL as knowing
His love.
In various parts of
"The Final Quest", reference is made to humility. It is
repeatedly indicated that humility is NOT something that appeals to
human beings
and that we are prone to pride.
It is also indicated
that without humility it is not possible to understand much
about the Almighty and His Kingdom. It is also not possible to see
clearly in the
spiritual realm without humility. Pride blinds our spiritual eyes and
blocks our
spiritual ears.
From this
information it appears to be really important to regularly pray "Father
please humble me and cleanse me of all pride, self righteousness and
all other
forms of self".
On page 53 it is
pointed out that the armour of Yah, set out in Ephesians 6, cited
above, does NOT cover the back. So, turning and running from the enemy
in fear
opens one up to defeat just as much as advancing into the enemy ranks
in pride
opens one up to defeat.
We are created to
work together in teams, Yahooshua sent his followers out in
two's, precisely for this reason, so that each could cover the back of
the other.
This is one reason
why a divided house cannot stand as stated in Matthew 12:25
"And Yahooshua {Jesus} knew their thoughts, and said unto
them, Every kingdom
divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every
city or house divided
against itself shall not stand:" (KJV, name
adjusted)
This is a major
reason why strife between husband and wife or wives is so
spiritually damaging and why submission of wives is so important. If a
wife is
arguing with her husband, how can she cover his back and how can he
cover
hers?
If the husband is
advancing in pride or the wife is retreating in fear, or vice versa,
how can the house stand?
The same
observations apply to strife, pride and fear in a business; strife,
pride
and fear in a ministry; strife, pride and fear in a nation; etc. This
is why
submission to leaders is so important.
On page 54 it is
illustrated that advancing in pride can open the door for "strong
delusion" and doctrines of demons. The potential to fall at
any time from any
level is stressed.
On page 55 we are
advised to inquire of the Almighty before making major
decisions and to seek humility.
Directional prayers,
such as those suggested above, prayed sincerely in faith out
of recognition of one's own fallibility, are absolutely vital.
In 55 (5) it is
stated that Yah is "closer to the homeless than to kings",
that we
only have "true strength" to the extent that we
walk in the grace of Yah because
the Almighty "gives His grace to the humble".
This is a reference
to 1 Peter 5:5, quoted below in the context of 1 Pet 5:1-11:
"1 The
elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a
witness of the sufferings of the anointed one {Christ}, and also a
partaker of the
glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the
flock of Yah {God} which is among you, taking the oversight
thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of
a ready mind;
3 Neither
as being lords over Yah's {God's} heritage, but being ensamples to
the flock.
4 And when
the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a
crown of
glory that fadeth not away.
5
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you
be
subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:
for Yah {God}
resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of Yah {God},
that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting
all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom
resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the
Mighty One {God} of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal
glory by the anointing that was upon Yahooshua {Christ Jesus}, after
that ye have
suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him
be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (KJV,
adjusted)
In 55 (5) it is also
stated that "no evil weapon" can penetrate the
mantle of
humility because nothing can overpower the grace of the Almighty.
This is an extremely
important and challenging principle. The ONLY way one can
manage to walk in true humility is to ask the Almighty to humble one,
to judge
one, to correct one, to guide one, etc.
PROPHETS
In 59 (2) it is
stated that only those who receive prophets as prophets "can
receive the prophet's reward" or the benefits of the
services of a prophet. In
other words, those who judge the man to determine if he is a prophet,
are likely
to miss it from the start. It is advisable to rather hear a man who
claims to be a
prophet and subsequently prayerfully decide what to do with what he
says than
to pass a judgment on him and reject him. No matter what one's
understanding
may say about him or his "word".
The reference to
prophets in 59 (2) is specifically in the context of receiving
warnings of danger, error, etc.
Only if we realise
how far we are from the Almighty and how imperfect all of our
brethren in the faith are, can we choose to cease judging and rejecting
others and
let the Almighty speak to us, even through those who are imperfect.
This may be vital to
turn us away from strong delusion or other serious error.
We may not like the
message of the prophet, however, it may be critical in terms
of where we spend eternity.
MOTIVES
In 63 (2) Joyner
states "I now think that most of the right things I did, I
did for
the wrong reasons, and many of the wrong things I did, I had good
motives for."
Since first reading
this passage, i continue to see how true this is.
It also creates
great difficulty for others. They see us doing "right things" for
"wrong reasons" and conclude that the Almighty did not speak to us or
did not
guide us or that we were doing the "wrong things".
Conversely, where
people see we have "good motives" they conclude that what
we are doing is "good" or "right".
Our tendency to do
these things and judge others and the actions of others is a
major hindrance to us doing the will of the Almighty AND leading others
in the will
of the Almighty.
In 63 (2), Joyner
also states "The more I learn, the more unsure of myself I
feel." The prophet that is speaking to Joyner then advises
him in 63 (5) that what
Joyner is experiencing is "the true faith".
Joyner responds in 63 (6) that he is
referring to "serious doubts".
The prophet responds
that it is "wise to doubt yourself" and then goes
on to state
in 64 (1) that true faith depends on the Almighty, "not
yourself".
In essence, i
understand this to indicate that the more we move ahead in
"confidence", the more likely that we are to mess up at some point.
Where we
are constantly praying to the Father, asking His guidance, asking Him
to close and
open doors, to guide in every way, etc the more likely we are to do His
will. At
least to some extent. Note that such prayers are NOT a blank cheque to
storm
ahead and do whatever we feel "led" to do. We have the final say, we
are
ultimately accountable for ALL our words and deeds.
This lack of self
confidence and total reliance on the Almighty, may be
misinterpreted by others in all sorts of ways. Again, another reason
not to judge
others.
In 64 (3) it is
stated that it is "together, not individually"
that we are to know the
secrets of the Almighty.
In 66 (4) it is
indicated that "Spiritual maturity is always determined by
our
willingness to sacrifice our own desires for the interests of the
kingdom, or for the
sake of others." This is an essential part of the message of
Yahooshua in Matthew
5 and 6 cited above. It is also central to many of the other passages,
such as
men loving their wives as Yahooshua loved the body of believers and
died for
them, wives submitting to their husbands as Yahooshua submitted to
those who
killed him, etc.
In 66 (4) it is also
indicated that, that which "requires the most
sacrifice"
will "always take us to the highest level".
In other words, a vital
point of seeking to qualify for a high throne for
eternity is to be willing to make great sacrifices. This
can look like letting
go of deeply held beliefs, dealing with issues in our own lives that we
would rather
ignore, doing things we don't want to do or find uncomfortable or
inconvenient,
loss of popularity, loss of following, loss of family, loss of
finances, physical
suffering or any other form of sacrifice.
THE
JUDGMENT SEAT
On page 75 the
Judgment Seat of the Anointing of Yah {Christ} is introduced. Refer to
Romans 14:10-13:
"10 But
why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy
brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat
of the anointing
of Yah {Christ}.
11 For it
is written, As I live, saith Yah the eternally self existing {the
Lord},
every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to Yah {God}.
12 So then
every one of us shall give account of himself to Yah
{God}.
13 Let
us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge
this
rather, that no man put a stumblingblock
or an occasion to fall in his brother's
way." (KJV, adjusted)
2 Corinthians 5:10
states "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
the
anointing of Yah {Christ}; that every one may receive the things done
in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
(KJV, name adjusted)
In 75 (5) it is
stated that the judgment is "the greatest fear in the
creation" and
that it is also the source of the "greatest
wisdom" that we can know "in
this life, or in the life to come".
It is apparent that
seeking to know the judgments of the Almighty and, thereby,
to know how to please Him, is an essential component of qualifying for
a high
throne for eternity. We will only get to a high throne
VIA the judgment. Therefore, it is important that we are aware of the
judgment and what it
entails.
We can only do this
IF we are willing to seek His face and if we are willing to ask
Him to judge us and guide us constantly.
On 75 and 76 it is
stated that believers are not giving much attention to the
judgment.
In 76 (1) it is
stated that the "greatest authority that men
can receive will
be entrusted only" to those who are willing to experience
judgment in
this life.
Thus the only way to
a high throne in heaven, which is, after all a judges or rulers
throne, is to be judged in this life so one can be found fit to judge
(rule) together
with Yahooshua in the life to come. Refer Revelation 2:26-27, referring
to
overcomers, cited above.
79 (2) states "Yah {God}
has a different definition of peace and safety than we
do. To be wounded in the fight is a great honor.
It is by Yahooshua's {the
Lord's} stripes that we are healed, and it is through our stripes that
we, too, are
given the authority for healing. In the very place that the enemy
wounds us, once
we are healed, we are given the power to heal others. Healing was a
basic part
of Yahooshua's {the Lord's} ministry, and it is
also a basic part of ours. That is
one reason why the Almighty {the Lord} allows
bad things to happen to His
people, so that they can receive the compassion for others by which the
power of
healing operates. That is why the apostle Paul told of his beatings and
stonings
when his authority was questioned. Every wound, every bad thing that
happens
to us, can be turned into the authority to do good. Every beating that"
Paul "took
resulted in salvation for others. Every wound that every warrior takes
will result
in others being saved, healed, or restored."
It is important to
understand that the losses and wounds that we suffer in this life,
provided they result from obedience to the Almighty, do constitute
treasure in
Heaven.
In other words, if
one is praying to be an overcomer, praying to hear the words
"well done though good and faithful servant" and similar prayers, then
one should
not be surprised when one experiences attacks, both spiritual and
physical, loss,
etc for the sake of the Kingdom.
Consider James 1:2-4
"2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall
into divers
temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience. 4
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and
entire, wanting
nothing." (KJV)
The word rendered
"temptations" means "a putting to proof (by experiment [of
good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation);
by implication,
adversity:" (Strong's
definition)
This is about being
tested in our obedience and willingness to suffer loss. Are we
willing to LITERALLY take up the stake and LITERALLY follow Yahooshua?
Either
to physical torture or to spiritual torment and loss?
79 (4) indicates
that there is "no courage unless there is real danger"
and reminds
us of the Almighty's exhortation to Joshua to be strong and courageous.
Refer
Joshua 1:5-9, quoting the Almighty:
"5 There
shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy
life:
as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor
forsake thee.
6 Be strong
and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou
divide
for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give
them.
7 Only be
thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe
to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee:
turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that
thou mayest prosper
whithersoever thou goest.
8 This
book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but
thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all
that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
and then
thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not
I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage;
be not
afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for Yah the eternally self existing
{the LORD}
thy Mighty One {God} is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
(KJV, adjusted)
Here, immediately
after telling Joshua that He will be with Joshua as He was with
Moses, the Almighty three times instructs Joshua to be strong and
courageous. The Almighty would go with Israel, however, Israel had to
fight the battle, which
included seeking the Almighty for guidance and assistance and being
obedient to
the commandments of the Almighty (verse 8).
In other words, both
a physical AND a spiritual battle where the essence of the
spiritual battle is to do what the Almighty tells one to do, no matter
how our
natural minds judge it. Like taking one's only son to sacrifice (kill).
Like walking
round a city for seven days so the walls fall down. Like raising a
staff to the Red
Sea so that the water parts. Like telling the Sun and Moon to stand
still. Like
being thrown into a den of Lions. Like being beaten and dying on a
stake without
committing any sin. Like ...
This is some
indication of the courage the Almighty is seeking in His overcomers.
80 (4) states "Until
you have beheld and appreciated the depths of the treasures
of salvation, you cannot see the glory that comes from
suffering for the sake
of the
good news {gospel}. Once you have seen it,
you are ready for the tests
that will release the highest levels of spiritual authority into your
life. These scars are the glory that we
will carry forever. This is why even the
wounds our Lord [Yahooshua] suffered are with him
in heaven. You can still see
his wounds" ... "These are the
medals of honor in heaven. All who carry them
love
Yah {God} and His truth more than their own lives.
These are the
ones who followed the lamb wherever he went, being willing to suffer
for the sake
of truth, righteousness and the salvation of men. True leaders of His
[Yah's]
people, who carry genuine spiritual authority, must have
first proven their
devotion this way."
This reinforces the
message that it is an honour and a privilege to suffer in the
service of the Almighty.
In 81 (2) it states
that it is "through these sufferings" that ones "worthiness
to
receive the great authority" that will be given to those who
become members of
the Almighty's own household are "surely proven".
In 81 (3) it is
stated that "courage is a demonstration of faith"
and that the
Almighty "never promised that His way would be easy, but He
has
assured us that it would be worth it".
In 82 (3) it is
stated to Joyner that "Because you have been faithful in a
few
things you will now be given the great honour of going
back to suffer, that
you may be made a ruler over many more."
Each of us must ask
ourselves whether we are willing to make sacrifices in order
to become rulers in heaven, versus living a comfortable life on earth
and
something much less in the life to come.
In 83 (2) Joyner
states "what seems right is
usually the least fruitful path, and
often the road to failure. Throughout my
journey, the path of greatest risk
was the path that led to the greatest reward"
In 83 (3) we are
advised that "it takes more faith to walk in the higher
realms of
the Spirit". It is suggested that the "map" to the Kingdom
of the Almighty is
contained in the words "If you seek to save your life you
will lose it, but if you will
lose your life for My sake you will find it". We are advised
that "those words
alone" can keep us on track.
- JOYNERS
EXPERIENCE OF THE JUDGMENT
Starting
on page 84, Joyner reports a series of visions in which he is taken
into
the Hall of Judgment in Heaven and experiences judgment of himself.
This
experience includes meetings with people who have already died and been
judged. In his conversations with these people he learns much about the
Judgment and how life on earth is viewed very differently by the
Almighty relative
to how men view it.
Insofar
as each person is judged immediately they die these visions were all
real
experiences and Joyner DID actually meet with the people concerned. It
is
important to be aware that the so-called "Day of Judgment" is the day
on which
the outcome of "The Contest" will be determined -- i.e. whether Satan
has won
or lost the competition to totally corrupt mankind, see
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/TheContest.aspx
It is
vitally important to be aware that in terms of "The Rules of
Engagement"
neither Father, Yahooshua or the people interviewed are permitted to
directly
correct wrong beliefs and teachings, thus Joyner was NOT corrected in
terms of
a number of serious errors which are perpetuated in The Final Quest. We
are
each responsible for seeking truth and, in this context, constant
seeking after
truth, fasting, etc as described in the article "Seven Components in
Growing Close
to Yah" are vital, see
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Home/7ComponentsinGrowingClosetoYah.aspx
See
also the article on "The Rules of Engagement" for more information
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/TheContest/RulesofEngagement.aspx
I am
certain that Joyner DID experience the visions he describes and that
most,
but not all, of what is reported in "The Final Quest" IS from the
Almighty and is
for our edification, instruction and guidance. Joyner specifically
records that in
some cases he allowed some time to elapse before recording his
experiences. We
must also constantly be aware of the Rules of Engagement preventing
even the
Almighty from correcting our errors and sin UNLESS we have first prayed
for Him
to do so -- so YOUR experience of the Almighty is in large measure
constrained
and determined by what YOU pray and what those close to you pray for
you!
Joyner
describes the Judgment experience commencing at the outer reaches of
the outer darkness until he eventually reaches the throne and
subsequently is
permitted to have conversations with certain people who are sitting on
thrones.
I
understand this information to be enormously important for anyone who
aspires
to spend eternity in heaven.
THE
OUTER DARKNESS
In the
vision, Joyner enters into the Judgment Hall through a door. As the
door
closes behind him, he finds himself in "the most frightening
darkness I had ever
experienced" 84 (5). He describes a "terrible
battle with fear" and even states
that he began to think that he had "stepped into hell itself".
I
understand this to be "the outer darkness" referred to in various
passages
above.
It
seems, that there is a place in HEAVEN which is frightening!
This
is a place for believers and Father Yah says that today the vast
majority of
people who believe end up there -- He refers to this place as "the
trash heap of
Heaven" -- He is highly displeased with the people who find themselves
here
because they ignored Him throughout their lives. Note that these people
still pass
through Hell to pay the price for their UNCONFESSED sin BEFORE arriving
at this
destination for eternity!
In
this location Joyner does not report meeting anyone or having any
conversations. This does not mean there were not people there, simply
that it
was so dark that he may not have met anyone who might have been there
and
might not have been able to receive what they might have had to say or
that they
were constrained by the Rules of Engagement.
After
entering into the outer darkness, Joyner reports that he cried out for
forgiveness and for help and then started to see Yahooshua on the stake
as a light
in the distance and started to move toward it. As he did so he began to
experience peace.
As he
moved forward he describes no longer feeling "cold",
then starting to see
a "dim light" which gradually became a "glorious
light" which then "became so
wonderful that i felt that i was entering into heaven itself".
In 85
(3) Joyner describes how he soon reached a point where "the
beauty of it
could not even be imagined by any reference to human architecture"
he reports
that he was "overwhelmed with joy and beauty".
Heaven
truly IS exceedingly beautiful and there IS joy to be experienced there.
Also
in 85 (3) Joyner reports that he then understood that every time that
he had
"experienced great pain or darkness of soul, it had been
followed by a much
greater revelation of glory and peace".
It is
perhaps helpful for some who have had experiences of pain or darkness
of
soul to see that such experiences may well also have had similar
benefits that
may only become apparent at the time of their judgment.
In 85
(4) and 86 (1) Joyner reports a "holy fear" as he
moved towards the
judgment seat but that he also experienced the judgment seat as a "source
of
more security than i ever experienced".
THE
FOOLISH VIRGINS
In 86
(3) Joyner describes noticing enormous numbers of people standing in
ranks. He describes them as "dazzling, more regal than
anyone I had ever seen. Their countenance was captivating. Never had
such peace and confidence graced
a human face. Each one was beautiful beyond any earthly comparison."
Joyner
enters into conversation with one of these people who informs him that
they are "the great cloud of witnesses" and that
they "know all of you, and we see
all that you do."
This
information, in its own right, is sobering. This great cloud of
witnesses are,
in some way, able to observe all that we are doing. In addition to the
Almighty
they are seeing what we do or do not do. They see what we do in
private, they
see our arguments, our sin, etc. So, if your parents are believers they
are
watching you still!
On
page 87 Joyner recognizes someone that he had known on earth and they
enter into conversation. In 87 (3) this man states that "Heaven
is much greater
than we could have dreamed while on earth" and states that
the room where
Joyner finds himself is "but the threshold of realms of
glory that are far beyond
the ability we had to comprehend".
Heaven
IS clearly a desirable place to spend eternity.
This
same man goes on to say "the second death is much more
terrible than we
understood". A sobering warning.
He says further "If
I had known on earth what I know here I would not
have lived the way that I did".
In 88
(2) the same man makes the point that there is "a marked
difference
between honouring one another in love, and worshipping them."
He further states
that if this was understood on earth we would treat "others
very differently".
In
88 (4) this man advises Joyner that "we are the least of
those here".
When
Joyner questions this, the man continues in 89 (1) "There
is an
aristocracy of sorts here. The rewards for our earthly lives are the
eternal positions that we will have forever. This great multitude are
those whom Yahooshua {the Lord} called 'foolish
virgins.'" He goes on to
explain that the people in this group knew Yah the eternally self
existing and
trusted in the stake of Yahooshua for salvation, "but we did
not really live for Him,
but for ourselves. We did not keep our vessels filled with the oil of
the Holy Spirit. We have eternal life, but we wasted our
lives on earth."
In 89
(3) Joyner protests in response that the "foolish virgins
gnashed their teeth
in the outer darkness" and in 89 (4) the man he is speaking
to confirms that this
was the case. He further states "The grief that we
experienced when we
understood how we had so wasted our lives was beyond any grief possible
on
earth."
The
speaker further confirms that Joyner is standing "among the
lowest rank in
heaven" and states that "there is no greater
folly than to know the great salvation
of Yah {God} but to then go on living for
yourself. To come here and learn the
reality of that is a grief beyond what an earthly soul can experience."
In 89
(5) Joyner questions how this can be since he is experiencing these
people
as "more glorious and full of more joy and peace"
that he imagined possible.
In 89
(6) the other man states that the love of the Almighty
is also far
greater than is understood on earth.
In 90
(3) the speaker describes further details of the continuum of "rank"
in
Heaven -- "The next level of rank here is many times greater
than what we have. Each level after is that much greater than the
previous one. It is not just that
each level has an even more glorious spiritual body, but that each
level is closer
to the throne from where all the glory comes."
This
is a confirmation of 1 Corinthians 15:37-44:
"37
And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be,
but
bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38
But Yah {God} giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every
seed
his own body.
39
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men,
another
flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40
There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory
of the
celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and
another
glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42
So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown in corruption; it is
raised in incorruption:
43
It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is
sown in weakness;
it is raised in power:
44
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a
natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
(KJV, adjusted)
In 91
(1) the person speaking to Joyner, quoted above, states that he is in
Heaven "by grace alone".
Every
time i read these above passages, i find myself IMMENSELY challenged in
terms of how i am spending my life and find new energy to pray for my
life to
make an impact and to be led by the Almighty in everything.
In 91
(6) Joyner describes the grief that he experienced in looking back at
his life. It seems to me that this is a challenge that everyone of us
faces. IF we have eyes
to see and ears to hear!
On 92
Joyner meets a man whom he had "esteemed as a great man of
God" on
earth, also in the place of the foolish virgins, and enters into a
discussion. In this
discussion various points are raised about discipling people on earth
which are
outside the scope of this document.
In 94
(1) this man states "Had I not been so self-centered and
concerned with my
own reputation I would be a king here. All that you [Joyner]
have and will
accomplish would have been in my heavenly account as well. Instead,
much of
what I gave my attention to was of very little true eternal
significance."
This
raises some really challenging points in support of statements made
earlier
in this document.
It
also introduces a concept which, while touched on in the traditional
writings,
was not previously clear to me. It is a concept that occurs in a number
of other
passages in "The Final Quest". This concept is as follows:
- All
that we do on earth results in debits and credits in our heavenly bank
account, this is a reasonably well understood principle.
- All
that OTHERS do in response to our influence on them is ALSO
accumulated in our account.
So, if
we influence others for good, through our teachings, example, whatever,
not only do they obtain credit, we ALSO obtain credit. Thus
we can continue
to earn credit for centuries or even millennia after we die!
Conversely,
if we influence others for evil the same applies.
Thus,
there is NOT only an opportunity to accrue credit after our deaths,
there is
ALSO an opportunity to accrue debits.
So,
while we may live a life that is reasonably pleasing to the Father in
this life,
we can plant seeds that can result in destruction after our deaths
which, it seems
to me, can eventually cancel out the credits and overwhelm them with
debits!
Conversely,
we could live a reasonably ordinary life on earth and plant a few
seeds that bear great fruit for later generations.
The accounting system for
storing up treasure in Heaven is COMPLEX and
the only way we can have any hope of a nett positive account balance on
the Day of Judgment is to turn totally to the Almighty for mercy, grace
and His guidance and judgment in our lives.
Anything
else is a form of gambling with one's life for eternity.
In 94
(2) Joyner states to the man that he is talking to that in his
(Joyner's)
opinion, what this man, who is amongst the foolish virgins, had
accomplished
during his life was "astounding".
In 94
(3) the man replies "What looks good on earth looks very
different here. What will make you a king on earth will
often be a stumbling block to
keep you from being a king here. What will make you a king here is
lowly
and unesteemed on earth."
This
supports the verses quoted earlier in this document. What is important
to
the Almighty is VERY different to what most of us have believed.
In 94
(5) he goes on to state that because we discern peoples problems
correctly
that is "never reason to reject someone". He
refers to Yahooshua's life and death
to support this.
In 95
(1) he states that he became like "one of the goats in the
parable" because
he rejected the Almighty by rejecting those whom the Almighty sent to
him.
In 95
(2) Joyner observes that the "whole battle"
is for the people and yet
people are often regarded as "the least important".
I find this a very sobering
statement, one that i so easily loose sight of.
A
"FAMOUS REFORMER" AMONGST THE FOOLISH VIRGINS
In 95
(4) another man joins the conversation. Joyner describes this man as
one
who Joyner had considered as "one of the greatest Christian
leaders of all time".
This
man goes on to say "Paul the apostle said near the end of
his life that he was
the least of the saints. Then, just before his death, he even called
himself 'the
greatest of sinners.' Had he not learned that in his life on earth, he,
too, would
have been in jeopardy of becoming one of the least of the saints in
heaven. Because he learned it on earth he is now one of
those closest to
Yahooshua {the Lord} and will be one of the highest in rank
for all
eternity."
Such a
vital lesson.
In 96
(1) Joyner states that "Seeing this man in the company of
'the foolish
virgins' was the greatest surprise" he had yet had.
This
man explains that he became proud and even became "an enemy
of the true
gospel" although, at the end, he trusted in the stake for
his salvation.
In 97
(4) Joyner states that he was "stunned" since "history"
had given a very
"different picture" of this man.
In 97
(5) the speaker states that the Almighty "does have a
different set of
history books than those on the earth." He goes on to say
that Joyner does not
yet know "how different" these books are. He
continues "Earthly histories will
pass away, but the books that are kept here will last forever. If you
can rejoice
in what heaven is recording about your life, you are blessed indeed.
Men see
through a glass darkly, so their histories will always be clouded, and
sometimes
completely wrong."
In 97
(6) Joyner asks why many other leaders "esteemed"
this man and the man
replies that very few people, including believers, "have the
true gift of
discernment". In 98 (1) he explains that this "is
why we were warned not to
judge before the time".
He
goes on to say that there have been "good motives in even
the worst of men,
and evil motives in even the best of them." He
also says that on earth we
"cannot really know what is in the heart of others".
It is
really important that we learn not to judge others.
In 98
(3) Joyner is told that he is having the vision because he prayed for
the
Almighty to judge him "severely", to correct him "ruthlessly",
so that he [Joyner]
could serve the Almighty more "perfectly".
He
also states that "the wise judge themselves" and
the "even wiser ask for the
judgments of the Almighty {the Lord} because they
realise they cannot
even judge themselves well".
In
closing 98 (3) Joyner refers to this man as "the famous
Reformer". There are
not many men to whom this designation could apply and it therefore
seems
important to prayerfully consider who this might be and what impact the
beliefs
one may have about him and his work may have on one's life today.
The
more we can come to terms with the reality that we do not have the
capacity
to really understand whether another person is acting in a way that is
pleasing to
the Almighty or not, the more we may be able to stop judging others and
trust the
Almighty to lead us.
The
wife of the abovementioned man then speaks to Joyner and, in 99 (2)
makes
the following statement. You can reform the
church without reforming your
own soul. You can dictate the
course of history, and yet not do the Father's will,
or glorify His Son. If you commit yourself to making human history, you
may do
it, but it is a fleeting accomplishment that will
evaporate like a wisp of
smoke."
In 99
(3) Joyner questions this statement "But your husband's
work, or your
work, greatly impacted every generation after him for good. It is hard
to imagine
how dark the world would have been without him".
She
replies "True. But you can gain the whole
world and still lose your own
soul. Only if you keep your own soul pure can you impact
the world for the truly
lasting eternal purposes of Yah {God}."
There
is considerably more jarring information about this man and his wife
contained in this section of "The Final Quest" that warrants reading.
In 100
(2) Joyner reports that he realised that much of what he was doing he
was
doing to "promote" himself rather than the
Almighty and His Kingdom. He also
states that he began to see how much he did to "prove myself
to others,
especially those who disliked me, who rejected me, or who I felt in
competition
with in some way". He refers to seeing that much of his life
was "built on the
facades of a projected image that belied who I really was".
The
important point here is not Joyners judgment of himself, but to what
extent
his judgment of himself may be almost universally applicable to men on
earth
today!
In 101
(3) the "famous Reformer" states "Do
not try to teach others to do
what you, yourself, are not doing.
Reformation is not just a doctrine." He
goes on to say that "true reformation" only comes
from union with the Almighty
and from being "yoked" with the anointing of the
Spirit of Yah and carrying "the
burdens that He gives you."
He
goes on to say that "You can only do His work
when you are doing it
with Him, not just for Him. Only
the Spirit can beget that which is Spirit."
The "famous
Reformer" further states that "the things that
are done in an effort
to make history will at best confine your accomplishments to history,
and you will
fail to impact eternity. If you do not live what you preach to others
you disqualify
yourself from the high calling ..."
The
need to apply what one teaches in one's own life on a daily basis is an
ENORMOUS point and an enormous challenge. It is relatively easy to read
a text
and obtain revelation, or to obtain revelation in prayer - to APPLY it
...!
In 102
(1) it is stated that "the high calling is not out of reach
for anyone that the
Almighty {the Lord} has called." It
is also stated that love for the Almighty
alone and seeking His glory alone is what will keep one "on
the path of
life".
It is
further stated in 102 (1) that "Everything you do to exalt
yourself will one
day bring you the most terrible humiliation." while
everything that one does "out
of true love" for the Almighty, "to glorify His
name, will extend the limits of His
eternal kingdom and ultimately result in a much higher place for
yourself. Live
for what is recorded here. Care nothing for what is recorded on earth."
In 103
(4), in a conversation with the wife of the "famous reformer"
it is stated
that "All of the relationships that you have on earth are
continued here, and they
are all purified by the judgment, and by the fact that they are now
spiritual just
as we are now spirit."
This
is a really important point. At one level it seems obvious, at another
level i
wonder how many of us really think about this in our relationships with
others.
Firstly,
what will it be like for a husband and wife if one is on a high throne
and
the other is in the outer darkness? Particularly when the dross of this
world has
been burned off by the judgment and they then discover that they deeply
love one
another.
This
seems really critical in the context of the indication that so few
people will
currently make it into heaven if judged today. What will it be like for
a husband
and wife if one is in heaven and one is an ancestor spirit on earth or
utterly
rejected and consumed in the lake of fire? What about other
relationships? What
if a man has committed adultery with another man's wife, fallen deeply
in love
with her and come to repentance while she has continued in her sin? He
will still
experience his deep love for her even if she is roaming the earth as a
demon or
consumed in the lake of fire and he is in heaven? Or vice versa?
The
Almighty has indicated to me that this is indeed so.
What
about family members and friends we could have interceded for more
effectively, witnessed to more constructively, ...?
Consider
Luke 16:22-26:
"22
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the
angels
into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham
afar
off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my
tongue; for
I am tormented in this flame.
25
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst
thy
good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted,
and thou
art tormented.
26
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so
that
they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass
to us,
that would come from thence." (KJV)
Those
in hell can speak to those in heaven AND ask for help and those in
heaven
can reply but CANNOT help! Notice that both Lazarus and the rich man
were
believers.
What
is it going to be like to be in the one place and see others one knew,
liked,
loved in the other place - whichever way round it works out for you?
What
do you choose to do about this?
THE
PURE TRUTH SPOKEN IN PURE LOVE
In 104
(3) it is stated that "The pure truth spoken in pure love,
will always
attract."
It
seems to me that this is a very important principle in how one shares
these
truths with others, particularly when one is concerned that another is
in sin and
one hopes to bring them to repentance. It seems to me that pure truth
spoken
in pure love has an order of magnitude greater probability of being
received.
How to
get there?
How to
deal with one's own hurts, pain, drivenness, fear of rejection,
memories
of past arguments or encounters, ...?
A
great challenge but part of the challenge of seeking to be transformed
to
become like Yahooshua as the pattern, or way or example that we have
been
given.
In
this age, i have found it really important to come to terms with just
how far i
am from being like Yahooshua and therefore just how difficult that
makes it for
me to communicate with others in a way they can receive.
In
recent years i have done much work in dealing with childhood hurts and
beliefs,
using psychological tools and practices, including those taught by the
"More to Life
Programme". I have found that the depth of these childhood hurts and
beliefs
about myself and others have had a massive impact on my ability to
communicate
effectively with others. See https://www.moretolife.org/
I have
learned that i have been sending out all sorts of unconscious messages
about myself and about others that have seriously detrimented my
ability to
communicate effectively with them. I have come to understand that these
hurts
and beliefs in some form or another are present in every human being on
earth
today and that they contribute in large measure to the extent to which
so many
relationships, including marriages, are dysfunctional.
PAIN
IS GOOD
Also
in 104 (3) it is stated, also by the wife of the reformer, that "Pain
is good;
it shows you where there is a
problem. Do not try to reduce the pain until you
find the problem. Yah's {God's} truth often
brings pain as it highlights a problem
that we have, but His truth will always show us the way to freedom,
too. When
you know this you will even begin to rejoice in your
trials, which are all
allowed to keep you on the path of life."
RELATIONSHIPS
ARE FOR GIVING
In 105
(5) the wife of the "famous reformer" states that
"As your mind is renewed
by the Spirit of Truth, you will not see relationships as an
opportunity to get from
others, but to give. Giving provides the greatest
fulfillment that we can
ever know. The most wonderful human relationships are
but a fleeting glimpse
of the ecstasy that comes when we give ourselves to Yah {the
Lord} in pure
worship."
She
continues "True love never seeks to be first, or to be in
control, but rather the
place of service. If my husband and I had kept this in our marriage, we
would be
sitting next to the King now, and this great hall would be filled with
many more
souls."
The
pages prior to this statement contain some shocking information about
how
a dysfunctional marriage in the life of someone with a high calling
detrimentally
impacted the lives of every generation thereafter AND detrimentally
impacted
their own eternal destiny. Father has confirmed that "The Great
Reformer"
referred to above is Martin Luther!
There
are a number of big lessons here for every believer, not least with
regard
to marriage.
LEARN
ON EARTH
In 106
(6) another person states that everything that Joyner was learning in
the
vision had been given to him on earth. I understand this to apply to
every one
of us. he is told that "Every relationship, every encounter
with another person,
could teach you what you are learning here if you will keep that cloak
of humility
on, and learn to always keep your attention fixed on His glory."
The
speaker turns out to be a man who had had "a great ministry".
This man
reports that he became very proud near the end of his life and started
to touch
the Almighty's anointed and to do His prophets harm. That he and his
followers
looked for faults in other ministries and exposed them.
In 108
(2) this man states that he became "the worst thing that a
man can
become on the earth -- a stumbling block who produced other stumbling
blocks. We sowed fear and division throughout the church, all in the
name of protecting
the truth. In my self-righteousness I was headed for perdition. In His
great
mercy the Almighty {the Lord} allowed me to be
struck by a disease that would
bring about a slow and humiliating death. Just before I died I came to
my senses
and repented."
There
is an opportunity to change sides right up to the last minute. If you
are
near the end of your life and experiencing severe illness, it might be
really
important to check out what the Almighty may be wanting you to learn
before it
is too late. If you do NOT you may find yourself rejected and cast out,
in which
case you will first visit Hell to pay the price of your unconfessed sin
as a believer
and will then be cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone to be utterly
consummed
-- the worst of both worlds!
In 109
(3) this man states "And we always comforted ourselves by
actually
thinking that we were doing Yah {God} a favour
when we attacked His own
children". He goes on to refer to "the worst
judgment of all -- the judgment of
the stumbling blocks" he also states that those who are
doing these things are
"doing the work of the Accuser [Satan]".
In 108
(6) and 109 (1) it is indicated that simply allowing people to talk
about the
errors of another congregation, or asking people to pray for a
congregation that
is considered to be in error and similar actions are all part of the
sin of being a
stumbling block. I understand this to relate to judging others and then
encouraging others to judge them as well by speaking about their
perceived or
actual sin to others.
The
truth is we are not competent to judge and frequently when we do judge
we
are judging based on our own pride, error, self righteousness, etc. It
is better to
notice, move on and pray in one's heart that the will of the Almighty
will be done
in a particular situation. Don't discuss it and certainly do not tell
others about it
or issue emails to large numbers of people or publish articles, etc
condemning
others, no matter how "politely" or "nicely" or "gently" or "lovingly"
or ... one
thinks one is doing it.
Still
in the place of the foolish virgins, Joyner meets a "famous
writer" who
confesses that, while his writings are widely esteemed in the church,
they are
"shallow, and filled more with worldly wisdom than divine
truth".
This
man goes on to state that he had "failed the King of Kings",
that he had used
his gifts to "draw men more to myself and my wisdom"
than to the Almighty, that
he "hardly knew" the Holy Spirit, that he did not
point men to the Almighty but
to himself and "others like" him. He states that
his mind was his "idol".
In 113
(3) this same man states that he buried his talents beneath his "own
spiritual pride and ambitions".
He
states further that "The more authority you are given, the
more potential for
both good and evil you will have. Those who will rule with Him for the
ages will
know responsibility of the most profound kind. No man
stands alone, and
every human failure, or victory, resonates far beyond our
comprehension,
even to generations to come."
In 113
(5) this man states "Had I sought Yah {the
Lord} instead of knowledge
about Him, many thousands who I could have led successfully would have
resulted in many more millions being here now." He goes on
to say "Never seek
influence for yourself, but only seek the Almighty {the
Lord} and be willing to
take His yoke. My influence did not feed your heart, but rather your
pride in
knowledge."
In 113
(3) he concludes by saying "Study to show yourself approved
unto Yah
{God}, not men."
I
constantly see this as an enormous challenge, it is so easy to want to
be
approved by other human beings and lose sight of the approval of the
Almighty.
This
is particularly so as a consequence of the fallen state of the world.
That
which is esteemed by the Almighty is generally ridiculed or rejected by
mankind
in this age. It requires real commitment to seek to please the Almighty!
SUMMING
UP - THE FOOLISH VIRGINS
In 114
(4) Joyner reports "In this first multitude I saw many other
men and
women of Yah {God} from both my own time and
history. I stopped and talked
to many more. I was continually shocked that so many
whom I expected
to be in the highest positions were in the lowest rank of the kingdom.
Many shared the same basic story -- they had all fallen to the deadly
sin of pride
after their great victories, or fallen to jealousy when other men were
anointed as
much as they were. Others had fallen to lust, discouragement or
bitterness near
the end of their lives and had to be taken before they crossed the line
into
perdition. They all gave me the same warning: the higher the spiritual
authority
that you walk in, the further you can fall if you are without love and
humility."
TOWARDS
THE JUDGMENT SEAT AND THRONE
Joyner
reports in 114 (5) and 115 (1) "As I continued toward the
judgment seat
I began to pass those who were of higher rank in the
kingdom. After many
more veils had been stripped away from me by meetings with those who
had
stumbled over the same problems that I had, I began to meet some who
had
overcome. I met couples who had served Yah {the
Lord} and each other
faithfully to the end. Their glory was unspeakable, and their
victory
encouraged me that it was possible to stay on the path of life, and to
serve Him in faithfulness. Those who stumbled, stumbled
in many different
ways. Those who prevailed all did it the same way --
they did not deviate
from their devotion to the first and greatest commandment -- loving
the
Almighty {the Lord}. By this
their service was done unto Him, not to men,
not even for spiritual men."...
115
(2) "When I was still not even halfway to the throne, what
had been the
undescribable glory of the first rank now seemed to be the outer
darkness in
comparison to the glory of those I was now passing. The greatest beauty
on
earth would not qualify to be found anywhere in heaven. And I was told
that this
room was just the threshold of realms indescribable!"
Truly
this is a treasure that is worth seeking to obtain. A treasure that
warrants a sacrifice of obedience and love in this life.
The
following passage indicates that there are even various levels of
throne. 116 (1) "As I approached the Judgment Seat
of the anointing of Yah {Christ},
those in the highest ranks were also sitting on thrones that were all a
part of His
throne. Even the least of these thrones was more glorious than any
earthly throne
many times over. Some of these were rulers over cities on earth who
would soon
take their places. Others were rulers over the affairs of heaven, and
others over
the affairs of the physical creation, such as star systems and
galaxies. However,
it was apparent that those who were given authority over cities were
esteemed
above those who had even been given authority over galaxies. The value
of a
single child surpassed that of a galaxy of stars, because the Holy
Spirit dwelt in
men, and Yah the eternally self existing {the
Lord} had chosen men as His eternal
dwelling place. In the presence of His glory the whole earth seemed as
insignificant as a speck of dust; and yet it was so infinitely esteemed
that the
attention of the whole creation was upon it."
This
passage indicates that the majority of people who have so far qualified
to sit
on high thrones for eternity do not conform to human perspectives of
who would
qualify.
In 117
(2) it is stated that it was both "awesome" and "relieving"
to stand before
the Judgment Seat and that in the vision Joyner had "passed
the point where I
was concerned if the judgment was going to be good or bad; I just knew
it would
be right, and that I could trust my Judge."
This
speaks to us in this life as well -- are we willing to trust the
Almighty to judge
us in this life?
117
(3) "At one point Yahooshua {the Lord}
looked toward the galleries of
thrones around Him. Many were occupied, but many were empty. He then
said,
'These thrones are for the overcomers who have served Me faithfully in
every
generation. My Father and I prepared them before the foundation of the
world.
Are you worthy to sit on one of these?'"
Joyner
reports in 117 (4) that "I looked at the thrones. I looked
at those who
were now seated. I could recognize some of the great heroes of the
faith, but
most of those seated I knew had not even been well known on earth. Many
I
knew had been missionaries who had expended their lives
in obscurity. They
had never cared to be remembered on earth, but wanted only to be
remembered
by Him. I was a bit surprised to see some who had been wealthy, or
rulers who
had been faithful with what they had been given. However, it seemed
that faithful,
praying women and mothers occupied more thrones than any other single
group."
Again,
we see a high proportion of women. Specifically on thrones.
This
is an important revelation. There is a widely held belief that the
doctrine of
women submitting to their husbands in some way makes them second rate
citizens or is oppressive. And, there have certainly been many men who
have
applied these doctrines oppressively and unjustly. However, this does
not alter
the basis on which a woman will be judged -- did she submit to her
husband in
everything?
This
clearly nullifies beliefs that women are second rate citizens.
Taken
together with Isaiah 4:1, cited previously, this can also be taken
as an indication that the Almighty intends for there to be more women
on
thrones even after the final judgment.
It
seems important that women understand this and that they do not
sacrifice an
opportunity to sit on a throne or enter Heaven by getting into "women's
liberation", rebellion and other prevalent modern sin or by covenanting
{marrying} with a man who is NOT as close to Father as they are or,
worse still,
is an unbeliever.
This
and other passages also suggests to me that a man needs the support of
one
or more wives who will underpin him and support him spiritually,
particularly
through intercession, and assist him to serve the Almighty faithfully.
There
is much that is not understood about these concepts in the present age
and
much that is taught and practiced that is in opposition to them.
In
response to Yahooshua's question to Joyner in 117 (3) as to whether he
(Joyner) was worthy to sit on a throne, Joyner acknowledges in 118 (1)
that
"There was no way that I could answer 'yes' to
Yahooshua's {the Lord's}
question".
This
is surely the only answer that any human being can give.
In 118
(2) Yahooshua asks Joyner "But do you want this seat?"
DO YOU WANT TO SIT ON A
THRONE
WITH Yahooshua FOR ETERNITY?
This is the essential
question
of this whole document, do YOU want to sit
on a throne with Yahooshua for eternity?
This
is a question worth pondering.
By
now, you have some idea of what the price is to sit on such a throne,
some
idea of the sacrifices, the adjustments, the probability of pain and
loss in this life,
the probability of a major adjustment in your life.
Do YOU
want such a seat?
There
is no obligation to say "yes".
And i
suggest that it is NOT prudent to say "yes" UNLESS you have REALLY
thought this through and prayed about it.
If you
are NOT REALLY willing to pay the price, rather don't say "yes", rather
be
silent and let this moment pass -- it will be better to do that than to
say "yes" now
and then find that you are not willing to see it through. In such a
case the
judgment will be harsher in the end.
Rather
wait a while and make a QUALITY decision, a decision that you will not
compromise on later.
Get
in touch with what you REALLY want in life -- nice cars, nice house,
approval of your family and peers, etc OR "well done thou good and
faithful servant, come up here" on the Day of Judgment.
I am
convinced that if anyone REALLY grasps the magnitude of what is being
offered, they will say "YES".
What
about you?
The
following extract from "The Final Quest" gives some indication of what
the
Almighty might say to you IF you say "yes".
In 118
(3) Joyner replies "I do with all of my heart,".
In 118
(4) Joyner reports "Yahooshua {The Lord} then looked at the
galleries and
said, 'Those empty seats could have been filled in any generation. I
gave the
invitation to sit here to everyone who has called upon My name. They
are still
available. Now the last battle has come, and many who are last shall be
first.
These seats will be filled before the battle is over: Those
who will sit here will
be known by two things: they will wear the mantle of humility, and they
will have My likeness. You now have the mantle. If you
can keep it and do not
lose it in the battle, when you return you will also have My likeness.
Then you will
be worthy to sit with these, because I will have made you worthy. All
authority
and power has been given to Me, and I alone can wield it. You will
prevail, and
you will be trusted with My authority only when you have come to fully
abide in
Me. Now turn and look at My household.'"
118
(5) "I turned and looked back in the direction I had come
from. From before
His throne I could see the entire room. The spectacle was beyond any
comparison
in its glory; millions filled the ranks. Each individual in the lowest
rank was more
119 (1) awesome than an army, and had more
power. It was far beyond my
capacity to absorb such a panorama of glory. Even so, I could see that
only
a
very small portion of the great room was occupied."
THE
CUP -- NINETY NINE OUT OF A HUNDRED ARE LOST -- WILL YOU
SEEK TO LOVE AND SAVE THE LOST?
119
(2) "I then looked back at Yahooshua {the
Lord} and was astonished to see
tears in His eyes. He had wiped the tears
away from every eye here, except His
own. As a tear ran down His cheek he caught it in His hand. He then
offered it to
me."
119
(3) "'This is My cup. Will you drink it with Me?'"
It seems to me that this is
the same question that will be asked of EVERY
PERSON who seeks to sit on a throne for eternity.
119
(4) "There was no way that I could refuse Him. As
Yahooshua {the Lord}
continued to look at Me I began to feel His great love. Even as foul as
I was He
still loved me. As undeserving as I was He wanted me to be close to
Him. Then
He said:"
119
(5) "'I love all of these with a love that you cannot now
understand. I also
love all who are supposed to be here but did not come. I have left the
ninety-nine to go after the one who was lost. My shepherds would not
leave the one to go after the ninety-nine who are still lost. I came to
save
the lost. Will you
share My heart to go to save the lost? Will
you help to fill this room? Will you help to fill these thrones,
and every other seat in this hall? Will you take up this quest
to bring joy to heaven, to Me and to My Father? This
judgment is
for My own household, and My own house is not full. The last battle
will not be
over until My house is full. Only then will it be time for us to redeem
the earth,
and remove the evil from My creation. If you drink My cup you will love
the lost
the way that I love them.'"
Ninety
nine percent of all those who should have been in heaven at that time
were
NOT!
That
is a TERRIBLE statistic.
As
mentioned above in the current age the situation for the current
generation is
worse.
On 17
January 2002, the writer was told by the Almighty that IF the world was
to
be judged at that moment, only thirty million (30,000,000) people of
the entire
world population on earth at that moment would qualify to enter heaven.
On
Passover 2004 (6 April), the writer was told that this number had
reduced to
three million (3,000,000).
Today,
31 January 2015, Father says the number is LESS than 100,000!
Right
now, can YOU say with total conviction, based on a deep personal
relationship with the Almighty, that you have done enough in your life
to qualify
for heaven and enough NOT to qualify for hell?
Can
you TRULY say that your doctrine is sufficiently accurate that you will
not be
found a liar and a heretic on the Day of Judgment?
Can
you TRULY say that you have held lengthy PERSONAL conversations with
the
Almighty to a point where you are confident that you know His will in
your life? Or that, in some other way, you ARE confident that you ARE
on the strait way
headed for the narrow gate?
Are
you CERTAIN?
Or do
you want to take a chance?
OR
Is
this a time to re-examine your life and take a LONG HARD LOOK at what
you
have done in your life to date AND what you think your life currently
is set to look
like if you continue doing what you are doing?
Is
this a TIME FOR CHANGE?
DRASTIC
CHANGE?
Please
consider this prayerfully and carefully and then read on!
In 119
(6) and 120 (1) Joyner describes how Yahooshua placed the tear in a
plain
cup and gave it to him (Joyner) to drink. Joyner describes how he
erupted into
tears, crying for the lost, and for Yahooshua and the Almighty.
In 120
(2) Joyner describes how he was then filled with the peace of Yah.
Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of Yah {God},
which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through the anointing
which was upon
Yahooshua {Christ Jesus}." (KJV, adjusted)
After
this Joyner experienced the glory of the Almighty and was filled with
the
urge to preach, to worship and to breath every breath for the good news
of the
Kingdom of the Almighty.
THE
THRONE OF GRACE
In 120
(3) Joyner realises that the Throne of Judgment is ALSO the Throne of
Grace and requests grace to serve the Almighty, for grace to finish his
course. He asks for grace to love the Almighty the way he is
experiencing in the vision so
that he can be delivered from delusions and self-centeredness. He asks
for
salvation from himself and the evil of his own heart. He asks for the
love he feels
at that moment to flow continually in his heart. He asks for the heart
of the
Almighty and His love. He asks for the grace of the Set-Apart {Holy}
Spirit to
convict him of his own sin and to testify of the Almighty and of
Yahooshua as they
really are. For grace to testify of that which is prepared for those
who come to
the Almighty. For grace to preach the reality of the judgment. For
grace to share
with those who are called to occupy the empty thrones and to give them
words
of life to keep them on the path of life. Words that will impart to
them the faith
to do what they have been called to do.
In 121
(3) Yahooshua states that we must be constantly conscious of both the
kindness and the severity of the Almighty and that we must remember
both if we
are to stay on the path of life and not fall into deception. Yahooshua
indicates
that it IS grace to know both of these and that all the experiences
that Joyner has
been given in the visions is grace directed at this objective.
It
therefore seems imperative to consciously seek to know both the love
and the
judgments of the Almighty in our lives, continuously.
THE
LAST BATTLE
In 122
(3) it is stated that Yahooshua is now waiting for his enemies to be
put
under his feet, that is made his footstool. Refer Hebrews 10:12-13 "12
But this
man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on
the right
hand of Yah {God}; 13 From henceforth expecting till his
enemies be made
his footstool." (KJV)
It is
also stated that the legions of messengers {angels} that have been on
standby for this time have been released and that the "hordes
of hell have also
been released".
It is
stated that what is now unfolding on earth is "the last
battle".
So, in
considering what has been presented thus far, it is perhaps useful to
consider that the spiritual dispensation in which we now find ourselves
is VERY
different to that which prevailed until a decade or so ago.
Are
YOU willing to accept the challenge?
THE
OVERCOMERS
The
next section of "The Final Quest" is titled "The Overcomers"
and it reports
Joyners experience in the vision after he leaves the Judgment Seat and
meets
with some who are sitting on thrones.
On
pages 124 and 125 Joyner reports a form of communication in heaven that
transcends words. It is something that in earthly terms might be called
"telepathy" but the way he describes it is much more profound.
In 125
(3) it is suggested that this level of communication was lost after the
Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:9 "Therefore is the name of it
called Babel; because
Yah the eternally self existing {the LORD} did there confound the
language of all
the earth: and from thence did Yah the eternally self existing {the
LORD} scatter
them abroad upon the face of all the earth." (KJV, adjusted)
It is
stated that we can only experience such communication when we are freed
in the presence of the Almighty.
In 125
(4) Joyner indicates that "when Adam's
transgression caused him to
hide from the Almighty {God}, it was the
beginning of a most terrible
distortion of what man was created to be, as well as a severe reduction
of his intellectual and spiritual capacities.
These could only be restored when
we come out of 'hiding,' 126 (1) opening
ourselves to the Almighty {God} and to
each other, becoming genuinely transparent. It is as we behold the
glory of the
Almighty {the Lord} with an 'unveiled face' that we are
changed into His image. The veils are causing our hiding."
The
statement about the reduction in the capabilities of mankind that
resulted
from Adam's transgression is a really important aspect of understanding
our
current situation.
Many
believers, at some level, seem to believe that the present generation
is the
most advanced generation technologically and spiritually that has ever
walked the
earth. The reality, which is not within the scope of this article, but
which is
alluded to in the above quote, is that mankind has degenerated
MASSIVELY
spiritually from the time of Adam. In fact, mankind's recent
technological
"advances" are only a limited recovery of the technology that was in
existence at
the time of Noah, as evidenced by the books "Dead Men's Secrets" and
"The
Killing of Paradise Planet", both by Jonathan Gray, available at
www.archaeologyanswers.com
See
also http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Flood.aspx
It is
only when one can grasp just how far the present generation has fallen
from
knowledge of the Almighty and knowledge of His ways that one can really
begin
to see how big a challenge it is today to qualify to enter heaven AT
ALL and
particularly to qualify to sit on a throne for eternity.
In 126
(2) Joyner states "When the Almighty {the
Lord} asked Adam where he
was after the transgression, it was His very first question to man
[after the fall]
and it is the first one that we must answer if we are to be
fully restored to Him. Of course, the Almighty {the
Lord} knew where Adam was. The question was for
Adam's sake. That question was the beginning of the
Almighty's {God's} quest
for man. The story of redemption is the
Almighty's {God's} pursuit of man,
not man's pursuit of the Almighty {God}. When we
can fully answer this
question, knowing were we are in relation to the Almighty {God},
we will have
been fully restored to Him. We can only know the answer when we are in
His
presence."
126
(3) "That was the essence of my [Joyner's] entire
judgment seat experience. The Almighty {the
Lord} already knew all that there was to know about
me. It was all for my sake, so that
I would know where I was. It was all to bring
me out of hiding, to bring me out of darkness into light."
It is
really so important that we recognise that the Almighty DOES know all
that
there is to know about us. He knows about our secret sins, our desires,
our
dreams, our lusts, our fears, our ... He knows about the painful
experiences that
have created emotional scars, beliefs, automatic reactions, etc.
When
he brings people together in partnership in marriage, in ministry, in
business, He knows everything about them. He is NOT surprised by their
quirks
and their habitual sins.
Yet,
so frequently, when believers are convinced the Almighty has brought
them
together, in marriage, ministry, business, etc, the moment one of them
discovers
something about the other that they do not approve of or like, they
reject them
and break the partnership. They lose sight of the fact that the
Almighty is NOT
surprised.
In 126
(4) Joyner states that the Almighty is seeking to be one with His
people,
He wants us to see things "in union with Him".
In 127
(1) it is stated that the "darkness in the world was
perpetuated by the
compulsion to hide that began after the fall. 'Walking in the light' is
more than
just knowing and obeying certain truths -- it is being
true and it is being free
from the compulsion to hide."
It
seems to me that this is a big part of this message.
Are
YOU willing to make a decision to really seek the Almighty rather
than hiding from Him. Are you willing to accept that He knows
EVERYTHING about you and yet He STILL loves you and wants to heal you
and draw you close to Him. And He wants to offer you an opportunity to
sit with Yahooshua on a throne for eternity!
It is
a WONDERFUL OFFER, if you can accept it!
But,
it requires YOUR FREEWILL CHOICE!
In 127
(2) Joyner stresses that part of being free from hiding is that we are
also
transparent with others.
There
is much more in the remaining pages of "The Final Quest". If this
message
has made an impact on you, please make every effort to read the
remainder of
the book and then read the whole book. There is much that is contained
therein
that is not contained in this message. You can purchase the book on
Amazon.com
or there is a copy available on my website at
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Eternity/TheFinalQuest.aspx
DECLARATION
I,
James Robertson, do hereby declare that i have prayed about this
document
and it's contents. I declare that the Almighty has stated to me that
this message
is 98% as He would have it.
CLOSING
THE SECOND EDITION
Since
writing this book I have walked a long road (further ten plus years)
and
learned many things. In particular i have come to understand that
almost
everything that i learned through the church is highly corrupt and
mistaken.
I have
learned that since Satan was sent to the Pit for a thousand years on 3
May
2003 the spiritual dispensation HAS changed dramatically although this
is only
visible to those who are really observant.
I have
learned that we are NOT taking part in some scripted pantomime, we are
engaged in a battle the outcome of which is by NO means certain and, as
a
consequence, reports of what Father has said that imply a guaranteed
outcome
are mistaken. In the visions and experiences of Rick Joyner, as with
EVERY other
prophet / spokesperson of the Almighty through the ages, Father has
confided His
plans and Goals NOT a pre-recorded script. We are given these
experiences that
we can MAKE them happen. Just as Daniel set himself to fast and pray
for the
return of Israel to the land of Israel from Babylon based on the
prophesy of
Jeremiah.
Therefore,
do NOT sit back and think that everything will come right. The "back
of the book" does NOT say that "we win", in fact, Father Yah has
clearly stated to
me that if The Contest were to end right now He would be very close to
losing it
and that ALL indications are at present that by 3003 He WILL lose
UNLESS there
is a dramatic turning around on earth with people seeking ALL truth,
praying the
necessary prayers and seeking energetically to live ABOVE SIN, which,
of
necessity, requires that we get our doctrine right!
He has
also shared with me that, contrary to general belief about evangelism,
saving the lost, etc, His HIGHEST priority is for individuals to seek a
DEEP
personal relationship with Him and become His friends. To this end I
refer you to
the two articles "The Creator Desires a Deep Relationship
with YOU" and
"Seven Components in Drawing Close to the Creator"
at
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Home/CreatorDesiresDeepRelationship.aspx
and
http://www.end-time-issue-ministries.org/Home/7ComponentsinGrowingClosetoYah.aspx
pdf versions are available at:
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/ETI_Worship/00_1_The-Creator-Desires-a-Deep-Personal-Relationship-with-YOU.pdf
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/ETI_Worship/00_2_Seven-Steps-in-Drawing-Close-to-the-Creator.pdf
IF you
have been seriously impacted by this book i strongly encourage you to
download these two articles and engage deeply with them. The Seven
Components article is the culmination of my journey with Yah over more
than
twenty one years and contains a wealth of valuable guidance that will
help you to
accelerate your growth in relationship with our Father in Heaven IF you
take what
is given and apply it conscientiously!
This article is also available on my website at:
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/CreatordesiresFRIENDS/WhereSpendEternity.aspx
and can be downloaded in pdf format from:
http://www.End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org/ETI_Worship/00_4_Where-Will-You-Spend-Eternity.pdf
CONCLUSION
In
conclusion.
Please
consider what is presented in this document carefully and prayerfully.
If the
end were to come today and you were to find yourself before the
Judgment
Seat -- can you say with absolute certainty whether you would find
yourself in
heaven or as an ancestor spirit on earth or utterly rejected?
If you
think you would be in heaven, would you be on a high throne or in the
outer darkness?
Do you
care?
Do you
WANT to sit on a throne for eternity?
Please
consider prayerfully what YOU truly want and whether you are willing to
pay the price in this life in order to store up treasure in the life to
come.
And
then,
make
what WILL be the most important decision that you will ever
make.
JAMES
ROBERTSON
James@End-Time-Issue-Ministries.org