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 falls in 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.
The power of the two witnesses are as follows:
ad. 1. The power of Elijah.
The matter of no rain falls means that the dryness is happening. It has happened in the past time, but it will happen again.
1 Kings 17:7
17:7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land
The title of this verse is Elijah and the widow of Zarephath
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.
When these two verses are combined, it tells that the dryness has happened for three and a half years in the age of the widow of Zarephath or the Gentiles.
The matter of the river was dry means that all sources in the world cannot guarantee the life of men in the world especially the Gentiles.
The dryness in the days of Elijah prophesied the dryness or the crisis in all aspects that will happen in the last days up to the age when the Antichrist rules over the world for three and a half years.
It is the double dryness as follows:
The dryness is has happened from now. We must be watchful! Do not think about the crisis because all of us will face it for sure. We must think the way to face the physical and spiritual dryness that will attack the world in the last days until the age when the Antichrist rules over the world for three and a half years.
1 Kings 17:8-12
17:8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
17:9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink."
17:11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
17:12 So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
The term"the word of the LORD comes"is the same as the verse seven that tells about the dryness. After that, the word of the LORD comes. It is the solution to face the dryness physically and spiritually.
To face the dryness, the Gentiles usually hope to the flour and the oil from the world. The flour and the oil from the world refer to the ability from the world, namely the intelligence, riches, and positions. But, actually all of them are too small and not enough; even they cause the destruction, death, and the perdition forever as it is told in the verse twelve, they will die.
The right solution to face the dryness is the way of God as follows:
God blesses you.
Revelation 11:6
11:6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in 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.
The power of the two witnesses are as follows:
- The power to shut heaven so that no rain falls. It is the power of Elijah.
- The power over waters to turn them to blood. It is the power of Moses.
ad. 1. The power of Elijah.
The matter of no rain falls means that the dryness is happening. It has happened in the past time, but it will happen again.
1 Kings 17:7
17:7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land
The title of this verse is Elijah and the widow of Zarephath
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.
When these two verses are combined, it tells that the dryness has happened for three and a half years in the age of the widow of Zarephath or the Gentiles.
The matter of the river was dry means that all sources in the world cannot guarantee the life of men in the world especially the Gentiles.
The dryness in the days of Elijah prophesied the dryness or the crisis in all aspects that will happen in the last days up to the age when the Antichrist rules over the world for three and a half years.
It is the double dryness as follows:
- The physical dryness. It means that all of the economic sources in the world have been powered by the Antichrist for three and a half years and it causes the physical famine and difficulties.
- The spiritual dryness means as follows:
- The crisis or the famine of the word of God, so many men especially the Gentiles fall and do not arise anymore. It is the same as living in sins up to the peak, namely the sins of eating-drinking such as smoking, getting drunk, and drugs abuse and the sins of marrying-being given in marriage such as sexual affairs, wrong marriage, mixed-marriage, and divorce-remarrying. They do not feel guilty anymore; even they think that they are right.
- The crisis of love. It makes men become ungodly to God, and do not want to serve and minister to God; even they leave Him. Being ungodly to other people starts to happen in the marriage, namely the husband does not love his wife, the wife does not submit to her husband, and the children do not obey their parents. The crisis in the beginning of the marriage, namely the way of dating like the people who do not know God and so on aims to the destruction of the marriage and children until perishing forever.
- The crisis or the famine of the word of God, so many men especially the Gentiles fall and do not arise anymore. It is the same as living in sins up to the peak, namely the sins of eating-drinking such as smoking, getting drunk, and drugs abuse and the sins of marrying-being given in marriage such as sexual affairs, wrong marriage, mixed-marriage, and divorce-remarrying. They do not feel guilty anymore; even they think that they are right.
The dryness is has happened from now. We must be watchful! Do not think about the crisis because all of us will face it for sure. We must think the way to face the physical and spiritual dryness that will attack the world in the last days until the age when the Antichrist rules over the world for three and a half years.
1 Kings 17:8-12
17:8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
17:9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink."
17:11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
17:12 So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
The term"the word of the LORD comes"is the same as the verse seven that tells about the dryness. After that, the word of the LORD comes. It is the solution to face the dryness physically and spiritually.
To face the dryness, the Gentiles usually hope to the flour and the oil from the world. The flour and the oil from the world refer to the ability from the world, namely the intelligence, riches, and positions. But, actually all of them are too small and not enough; even they cause the destruction, death, and the perdition forever as it is told in the verse twelve, they will die.
The right solution to face the dryness is the way of God as follows:
- We must hope to the spiritual flour and oil from heaven.
The flour refers to the word of God.
The oil refers to the anointing of Holy Spirit that pours the love of God.
So, we must hope to the word of God, Holy Spirit, and the love of God to face the dryness in the last days up to the age when the Antichrist rules over the world for three and a half years.
We must have the ability from the world and we try to get the position in the work legally but do not hope on it. We must hope to the word of God and Holy Spirit.
There are the bin and jar.
It means that how great the Gentiles are, they are only like the bin and the clay jar which are brittle. They cannot endure the test and pressure physically and spiritually.
If men cannot endure the test, they will be destroyed. It means that they do sins up to the peak, so they perish forever.
Therefore, we must be filled by the word of God, Holy Spirit, and the love of God through the shepherding pen or the perseverance in doing the three main services to God. Every time we serve and minister to Him in the shepherding system, He is filling the clay pot with His word, Holy Spirit, and His love.
So, we must prioritize the word of God in the service and ministry.
The main duty of the true shepherd is feeding the congregation with the shepherding word.
The true congregation comes to serve and minister to God especially to eat the shepherding word or hear and obey the voice of the shepherd.
At this time, we are filled by the word of God, Holy Spirit, and His love. He gives us extra power to face the crisis in the last days up to the age when the Antichrist rules over the world.
The processes of filling the clay pot are as follows:- Hearing the word of Christ or the word of God in the anointing of Holy Spirit.
Romans 10:17
10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God..
Wherever there is the preaching of the word, there is the anointing of Holy Spirit, because the word of God and Holy Spirit cannot be separated.
We must hear the gospel word (for ones who have just known Jesus) and the true teaching word (for ones who have been in Jesus for a long time) in the anointing of Holy Spirit so that the time and content are not limited. We can hear the word of God seriously and with a need. - Holy Spirit helps us to understand the true teaching word. It means that the word of God is written on the head.
- Holy Spirit helps us to trust the true teaching word until it becomes faith in our heart. It means that the word of God is written on the heart.
- Holy spirit helps us to do the true teaching word. The word of God is written on the hand, so it is in our grip. It means that the word of God is in our heart and ingrained in our life. The widow of Zarephath said that she did not have bread, but only "a handful of flour"in a bin.
A handful is the same as the size of the heart.
When one has sin, he rejects the word of God automatically. But, if the Ones of God has been ingrained in us, we will become sensitive and firm to know between the true things and the false one starting from the true teaching word, marriage, and all things from the wrong ones.
Revelation 13:16-18
13:16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
13:17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understandingcalculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
The term of 'small and great' tells us that we must pay attention to the Sunday School Service so that the children are in the hand of God; even since they are in the womb, they must be brought to God because they are the blessing from Him.
All things that bring men near to God are the blessing from Him. But, when they make men far from God, they are the temptation.
The term of 'receiving a mark on the right hand or on the forehead' tells about the sign from the Antichrist.
The term of 'has understanding'means that we are filled by the word of God until we hold it and we are in the hand of God.
If we are in the hand of God, we will be set free from the hand of the Antichrist that gives the stamp of 666 on the forehead and hand, because God has given the sign of the word on our forehead and hand first.
The proof that we are set free from the Antichrist or crisis and in the hand of God starting from now is that we live in the peace.
Ecclesiastes 4:6
4:6 Better a handful with quietness Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
We live in the quietness means that we are in the righteousness and peace. We do not feel anything that the flesh feels anymore in the midst of the crisis in the world because all things are easy and light.
Let us throw all the wrong things which make us not calm until we are really calm. When men are not calm, they will be drowned for sure. We only pray to God. - Hearing the word of Christ or the word of God in the anointing of Holy Spirit.
- Making a small cake for God.
1 Kings 17:13
17:13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
It means that we obey God, starting from the small things up to the impossible ones; even we obey all His will or until the flesh does not speak anymore. It is the small cake.
John 8:51
8:51 "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."
If we are obedient starting from the small things until the flesh does not speak anymore, we will experience the power to defeat the death.
The proofs are as follows:- We do not lie, but we are honest.
Isaiah 28:15
28:15 Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made liesour refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves."
Lying is the same as making a covenant with death.
Being obedient and honest is what we need to face the crisis. - We do not perish, but we have the eternal life forever.
- We do not lie, but we are honest.
- Gathering the sticks to bake the cake.
1 Kings 17:12
17:12 So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticksthat I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
The sticks refer to the cross, sprinkling of blood, and the fire of the persecution.
So, we must experience the sprinkling of blood or the suffering in the flesh because of Jesus or without sins.
The form is that we are blamed even though we are not wrong and the suffering in flesh because of the service and ministry to God, righteousness, the true teaching word, and so on.
What is the function of the sprinkling of blood? It is to burn all characteristics of the flesh that do not please God. The dough must be baked so that it becomes a small cake.
What must be burnt?- The egoism or loving to one own self, so he cannot love God and the other people; even he sacrifices God and other people.
It must be burnt, so we can love God more than anything and other people as ourselves; even the people who hate us. We only do the good things to other people and repay good for evil. - The fear and worry about something in the world which make men resist against God. It must be burnt so that we have the fear to God.
- The fear and worry which make men disobey God. It must be bunt so that we become faithful and righteous to God and other people.
- The fear to sacrifice for other people and God or not being willing to give until being unable to give. It must be burnt, so we feel more blessed to give than to receive.
When all of them are burnt, the cake starts being cooked. - Hoping on something except God. Be careful! Do not hope to the parents or children; even the shaman because it is the same as idolatry. It must be burnt, so we only trust and hope to God or worship Him.
But, when it is burnt, we become the servant and the minister of God who are obedient, faithful, righteous, having the fear of God, and willing to sacrifice. We will become the cooked small cake, so even though we are small, we can please God and make Him full.
The example is the widow of Zarephath or the Gentiles. In the last days is the church of Philadelphia.
Revelation 3:7-8
3:7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens":
3:8 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
'Have a little strength' refers to the small cake.
'Have kept My word'refers to the obedience.
'Have not denied Myname' refers to the faithfulness.
The widow of Zarephath refers to the smallest position in the house of Israel. The important thing is that the cake is cooked.
The church in Philadelphia is small too, but they are cooked, so God pleases them.
It means that He watches, cares, and struggles for us. He gives the key of David to open the door for us.
The results are as follows:- God opens the door of heaven for us. We experience the power of sanctification and renewal from the fleshly man to the spiritual one, namely we become strong and courageous.
Revelation 3:12
3:12 "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
Being strong and courageous means that we are neither disappointed nor hopeless and do not leave God regardless of anything we face. We are still faithful, fervent in spirit, and righteous in the service and ministry to God. We believe, hope God, and worship Him until He stretches His mercy and kindness hand for us.
Do not be doubtful!
We must be patient in waiting the time of God although we have been faithful and righteous, and kept on worshiping Him. It is the test of faith and patience because maybe the cake is not cooked yet. - The door of the using of God is opened for us.
Judges 6:14-15
6:14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"
6:15 So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakestin Manasseh, and I am the leastin my father's house."
David was a small kid who was used by God to defeat Goliath.
There was a small kid who had five loaves and two fishes who was also used by God.
Let us make ourselves small or we only hope to the word of God, Holy Spirit, and the love of God.
We are used in the revival of Holy Spirit in the early rain or the evangelism to multiply the quantity and the revival of Holy Spirit in the later rain or the true teaching word to multiply the quality up to the perfection. - The door of protection and preservation of God is open for us who are small and powerless in the midst of difficulties in the world up to the age when the Antichrist rules over the world for three and a half years.
1 Kings 17:15
17:15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. - The door of help from God is open for us. The dead things become alive.
1 Kings 17: 17
17:17 Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him.
The impossible things become possible and the failed ones become successful until the time when Jesus comes for the second time that we are changed to be perfect. We become the pillar in the New Jerusalem and we will not go out from there forever.
- The egoism or loving to one own self, so he cannot love God and the other people; even he sacrifices God and other people.
God blesses you.