Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 11:6
11:6. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain fallsin the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
This is the power of the two witnesses as follows:
ad. 1. The power of Elijah.
The matter of there is no rain is the same as dryness.
1 Kings 17:7
17:7. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rainin the land.
James 5:17
5:17. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
The dryness has ever happened for three and a half years in the age of a widow of Zarephath, the Gentile, and King Ahab, the Israelite.
1 Kings 18:20-22
18:20. So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
18:21. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word.
18:22. Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
King Ahab and the Israelites faltered between the Lord and Baal, and then they chose to worship Baal. Consequently, they experienced the dryness.
The other mistake was that they kept worshipping Baal to face the dryness, so they were not helped.
Zechariah 10:1-2
10:1. Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.
10:2. For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.
The dryness also happened in the age of Zechariah.
Verse one is the advice and verse two is the reproof.
On that day, the Israelites kept worshipping the idols.
The facts of worshipping the idols are as follows:
Consequently, one is not shepherded. It is the same as walking around until he meets the lion or false teaching, so he experiences spiritual death up to perdition.
The dryness in the age of Elijah and Zechariah prophesies about the double dryness in the last days up to the age of the antichrist who reigns over the world for three and a half years, and it causes ruin, famine, and perdition forever.
Zechariah 10:1
10:1. Ask the LORD for rainIn the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.
The way out from God to face against the double dryness in the last days is that we must desire and ask the early rain and the later rain to God, not the physical blessings.
We ask the early rain and the later rain, so we are not destroyed with the world, but become as perfect as Jesus. We become the heavenly bride who is ready to greet Jesus when He comes a second time on the glorious clouds. We enter the kingdom of heaven and live with Jesus forever.
Every time we face the physical dryness, the number one of our desire must be the early rain and the later rain. We keep making effort but we ask the fist rain and the last one to God.
The requirements of receiving the early rain and the later rain are as follows:
No matter our condition now, God still cares of us. The most important is having tender heart, being shepherded, and experiencing the sprinkle of blood.
God blesses us.
Revelation 11:6
11:6. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain fallsin the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
This is the power of the two witnesses as follows:
- The power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls. This is the power of Elijah.
- The power over waters to turn them to blood. This is the power of Moses.
ad. 1. The power of Elijah.
The matter of there is no rain is the same as dryness.
1 Kings 17:7
17:7. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rainin the land.
James 5:17
5:17. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
The dryness has ever happened for three and a half years in the age of a widow of Zarephath, the Gentile, and King Ahab, the Israelite.
1 Kings 18:20-22
18:20. So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
18:21. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word.
18:22. Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
King Ahab and the Israelites faltered between the Lord and Baal, and then they chose to worship Baal. Consequently, they experienced the dryness.
The other mistake was that they kept worshipping Baal to face the dryness, so they were not helped.
Zechariah 10:1-2
10:1. Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.
10:2. For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.
The dryness also happened in the age of Zechariah.
Verse one is the advice and verse two is the reproof.
On that day, the Israelites kept worshipping the idols.
The facts of worshipping the idols are as follows:
- Sinning. One keeps sinning and enjoys committing the sin of evil or the love of money that makes him greedy and stingy.
Being stingy means that one cannot give.
Being greedy means that one steals others especially God's, namely the tithe and special offerings.
It there is sin of evil, there will be the one of uncleanness, namely the one of eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage. - Believing in fortune-telling which is the same as the lie.
- False dream, including the visions that are not in line with the word of God.
Now, the idol in the church of God is the visions that are not in line with the word of God. - The physical entertainment. Now, it becomes the idol too in the church of God, not the true teaching word.
Consequently, one is not shepherded. It is the same as walking around until he meets the lion or false teaching, so he experiences spiritual death up to perdition.
The dryness in the age of Elijah and Zechariah prophesies about the double dryness in the last days up to the age of the antichrist who reigns over the world for three and a half years, and it causes ruin, famine, and perdition forever.
Zechariah 10:1
10:1. Ask the LORD for rainIn the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.
The way out from God to face against the double dryness in the last days is that we must desire and ask the early rain and the later rain to God, not the physical blessings.
We ask the early rain and the later rain, so we are not destroyed with the world, but become as perfect as Jesus. We become the heavenly bride who is ready to greet Jesus when He comes a second time on the glorious clouds. We enter the kingdom of heaven and live with Jesus forever.
Every time we face the physical dryness, the number one of our desire must be the early rain and the later rain. We keep making effort but we ask the fist rain and the last one to God.
The requirements of receiving the early rain and the later rain are as follows:
- Providing the good ground, namely tender heart.
Hebrews 6:7-8
6:7. For the earth which drinks in the rainthat often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;
6:8. but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
Deuteronomy 32:2
32:2. Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass.
The rain refers to the true teaching word.
The preaching of the true teaching word is increased as follows:- As the dew. It is seen rarely. One who sleeps spiritually cannot easily see the dew.
Sleeping spiritually means making the flesh comfortable. - As raindrops. It starts to be seen and felt especially for one who is in the temptation until the sadness because of being left by someone he loves.
- As showers. It refers to the revival of Holy Spirit in the last rain or the one in the true teaching word to face the situation in the last days, namely the double dryness up to the antichrist who reigns over the world. We must receive the teaching word for sure.
There are two kinds of ground in the book of Hebrews chapter 6 as follows:- Hard and stony ground, so one cannot drink the rain of the true teaching Word.
Hebrews 6:8
6:8. but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
The consequence is bearing the thorns. It refers to self-truth.
If one rejects the true teaching word, he will surely have the self-truth.
The self-truth means as follows:- The truth that is not in line with the word.
- Covering sin by blaming at the righteous man and God or the teaching word.
- The truth that is not in line with the word.
- The good or tender ground that is able to drink and consume the rain of the true teaching Word or hear and obey the true teaching word.
Hebrews 6:7
6:7. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;
As a result, we experience the purification of heart, mind, deed, and word. We can love one another; even we can love our enemy.
1 Peter 1:22
1:22. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
A holy man just does the good things. There is no hypocrisy moreover evil deed. He does not repay evil for evil, but repays good for evil.
The good ground is the base of the early rain and the later rain.
Living in holiness and loving one another even loving our enemy mean that we already have the base to receive God's blessing, namely physical and spiritual blessing as well as the one for our household, starting from the beginning of and during the marriage.
Hebrews 6:7
6:7. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs usefulfor those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;
If a husband is unjust and so is his wife, the marriage will be broken and there is no rain of blessing.
- As the dew. It is seen rarely. One who sleeps spiritually cannot easily see the dew.
- One must be shepherded well and correctly.
Joel 2:22-23,28-29
2:22. Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pasturesare springing up, And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
2:23. Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you--The former rain, And the latter rainin the first month.
2:28. "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spiriton all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
2:29. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
The requirements of being shepherded well and correctly are as follows:- We must be in the sheepfold or the Holy Place. It refers to the perseverance in committing the three kinds of main service to God, namely the general service, the bible study service, and the prayer service.
- We just hear and obey the voice of shepherd, the true shepherding word, or the repeated true teaching word.
Out attitude to other voice that is not in line with the bible or the advice from true shepherd is that we must run away. Do not hear it! - We must follow the step of the Shepherd, namely the one of death, resurrection, and glory.
That is why a good pastor must sacrifice a lot, because Jesus as the Good Shepherd has given a pattern until He sacrifices His life.
Why does God give it in the shepherding? Because He gives special gift to a shepherd, namely discerning of spirits, so he has firmness about the following things:- Discerning between the true teaching and the false one.
That is why all ministers must be shepherded.
As a result, God pours out the true teaching word in the shepherding, so a shepherd can feed the congregation with the true food so that they become strong to face the condition in the last days. They can experience the spiritual growth up to perfection.
The major measurement of good pastor is that he feeds the congregation with the true food. - Discerning between the true spirit and the false one, so God pours out Holy Spirit.
As a result, the congregation experiences the anointing and fullness of Holy Spirit, even it overflows in us until it becomes permanent in our life.
Joel 2:28
2:28. "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spiriton all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
The functions of Holy Spirit are as follows:- Holy Spirit puts to death the deeds of the body or sin. We do not sin but become active in the spiritual thing, namely ministering to God until we can worship Him.
Romans 8:13
8:13. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. - Holy Spirit makes us faithful and fervent in the ministry to God until the finish line, namely our death or Jesus' second coming.
Romans 12:11
12:11. not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
- Holy Spirit puts to death the deeds of the body or sin. We do not sin but become active in the spiritual thing, namely ministering to God until we can worship Him.
Hebrews 1:7
1:7. And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire."
The servant of God who is like the flame of fire is fire resistant.
It means as follows:- Being resistant to the fire of temptation, so one is not disappointed and desperate.
- Being resistant to the fire of lust, so one can follow the will of God.
- Being resistant to the fire of sin, so one does not sin.
- Being resistant to the fiery trial.
Revelation 1:14
1:14. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
God's eyes are like a flame of fire.
So, the servant of God who is holy, faithful, and fervent is the same as the apple of God's eye or one who is most beloved by God.
That is why there is the rain of the love of God in the shepherding.
Becoming the apple of God's eye or being loved by Him means as follows:- God pours out His rain of love, so we can love Him more than anything. We can come close to God and unify with Him. We are not separated from God regardless of anything that happens.
- God protects us from disaster until the antichrist reigns over the world.
Zechariah 2:7-8
2:7. "Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon."
2:8. For thus says the LORD of hosts: "He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.
We are also protected from Babylon. We are always touched by God and we touch Him, so we are used in the building of the perfect body of Christ.
We place Jesus as the Head.
Let us minister in holiness and faithfulness in the marriage and shepherding.
The Lord Jesus is responsible for every step of our life. He willingly dies and becomes the skull to be responsible for our life.
- We must be in the sheepfold or the Holy Place. It refers to the perseverance in committing the three kinds of main service to God, namely the general service, the bible study service, and the prayer service.
- We must live in the system of Canaan.
Deuteronomy 11:11-15
11:11. "but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven,
11:12. "a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.
11:13. ' And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,
11:14. 'then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.
11:15. 'And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.'
The system of Egypt is the flat ground that just relies on its own power.
The system of Canaan is the one of valleys or death and hills or resurrection. It is the same as the system of cross or sprinkle of blood, namely suffering in the flesh without any sin or because of Jesus.
For example, we suffer because of righteousness, ministry to God, disease, being blamed although we are not wrong, et cetera.
When we are sick because of sin, we must beg for forgiveness. But, being sick without sin means the sprinkle of blood.
The sprinkle of blood is God's mercy, because not everyone may experience it.
1 Peter 2:19
2:19. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
Why does God allow us to experience the sprinkle of blood? To make us receive the spirit of glory or the shekinah glory.
1 Peter 4:12-14
4:12. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
4:13. but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
4:14. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
If we receive the spirit of glory, we will experience the renewal of life or the biggest miracle, namely we become the servant of God who is obedient and faithful.
Deuteronomy 11:13
11:13. ' And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,
'earnestly obey My commandments which I command you' is the same as being obedient.
'serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul' = being faithful.
Being obedient and faithful are the same as stretching out our hands to God to attract His mercy. His eyes are always on us. It means that He remembers, cares, understands, and struggles to pour out the rain of mercy to all of us.
Deuteronomy 11:12
11:12. "a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.
The results are as follows:- God's merciful hands are able to protect and take care of us who are small and powerless in the midst of the difficulties in the world until the antichrist reigns over the world.
We never experience dryness, but abundance, so we always give thank to God. - God's merciful hands are able to help and finish all impossible problems.
Luke 7:13-15
7:13. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."
7:14. Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."
7:15. So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
The dead becomes alive, the impossible thing becomes possible, and the sick are healed.
The problems about marriage and children are restored, so they can be one and happy again.
God also helps our spiritual life.
Luke 22:61-62
22:61. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."
22:62. So Peter went out and wept bitterly.
When Peter was not obedient and faithful anymore, Jesus did not look at him anymore. But, when the rooster crowed, He looked at him again. It was the sight of God's mercy to Peter.
Now, if we want to confess our sin and leave it, and experience the sprinkle of blood, His merciful hands will be able to lift us up to live in righteousness and holiness.
Failure becomes success and beauty in due time.
No matter our condition is, as long as we have the tender heart, become shepherded, and experience the sprinkle of blood, we can still receive God's mercy. - We will be changed to become as perfect as Jesus when He comes a second time. God's mercy lifts us up to the clouds. We meet Him forever.
- God's merciful hands are able to protect and take care of us who are small and powerless in the midst of the difficulties in the world until the antichrist reigns over the world.
No matter our condition now, God still cares of us. The most important is having tender heart, being shepherded, and experiencing the sprinkle of blood.
God blesses us.