This is a 4 part word I received from the Lord on May 14, 1997.
Part A is a short parable about a disobedient son.
Part B is a look at Why Judgment must begin at the House of God.
Part C is speculation about what to expect in this Judgment.
Part D is a prophecy employing various scriptures concerning the Judgment
and the Redemptive Work that the Judgment will bring about. It also ties
these scriptures together to convey many insights that the Lord has given
me in this area.
Part A. A Story
On a certain day, young Johnny's dad comes home in the afternoon after
being away for some time.
Johnny is downstairs in the family room when his father calls down
to him.
"Johnny, you need to get outside and finish cutting that grass. It's
fixing to storm soon."
"I don't even see any clouds dad!" the boy replies.
"They're just over the horizon. I saw them as I came over the hill
on my way home. Now hurry up."
So right away Johnny goes to the fridge and gets a coke and grabs some
snacks from the pantry. He sits down in the family room and resumes playing
his Nintendo. After a while, the father calls down to him.
"I thought I told you to get out there and cut that grass!"
"OK Dad, I'll get right to it!"
About 10 minutes go by and Johnny is deep into his video game.
"Son", we hear, "are you going to cut that grass or not?"
"OK Dad, just a minute, I'll do it."
Some more time passes and the father calls out again.
Johnny says, "OK Dad, I'm almost done here."
Now the father is angry, and he comes down stairs.
"Son, I thought I told you to get out and cut the grass! What are you
doing?"
The son says, "OK Dad, just one more round of this game."
Now the father is furious.
The first thing he does is take away Johnny's coke.
"Hey, what are you doing dad?" Johnny says.
Then the father takes away the snacks.
"Dad, that's my snack! Where are you going with my snack?"
The father says, "Now what was it I told you to do?"
"I'll do it, Dad! I'm gonna do it!" says Johnny.
Then the father turns off the Nintendo.
"Hey Dad, I was almost done!"
Then the father takes a scissors and cuts the plug off the Nintendo!
"DAD! Johnny cries, you ruined my Nintendo!"
"You're not going back to that, son." his dad answers.
Then the father, still furious, grabs hold of the son and begins to
shake him, quite violently.
"OK, Dad, I'll cut the grass, I'll do it, I'll do it. Stop shaking
me, you're hurting me, Dad!"
Johnny is getting really scared.
Then the father gets his paddle and whips his son to the point of tears.
He does this so that he won't ever have to do it again.
"Son, I told you what to do, and you keep ignoring me. You seem to
forget just who I AM."
By this time, Johnny is crying, I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry. I'll do
it. I'll cut the grass. I'm sorry dad!"
When the father is satisfied that Johnny has been punished enough,
he puts away the paddle. Then He goes and gets a Kleenex and wipes away
Johnny's tears. This father loves his son very deeply and does not stay
angry for long.
"OK Son, now let's get that grass cut. Look, you can see the storm
clouds already."
As Johnny goes outside, his father gets out the fuel can and gasses
up the lawnmower. The father even starts the mower and hands it to his
son. Johnny quickly finishes the grass with his father helping him in the
rough spots.
Now of course the Father stands for God and the son, Johnny is the church.
The snacks and drinks are the comfortable lifestyle.
Inside the house speaks of inside the 4 walls of the church.
The Nintendo is all the worldly distractions that keep us from God's
purposes.
The Grass is the harvest field, and the gasoline is the power of the
Holy Spirit.
The coming storm is the Wrath of God upon this world!
Part B Why Judgment
There are two issues here. Why Judgment on the House of God and Why
Judgment must begin at the house of God.
Why Judgment on the House of God?
The Lord goes to great lengths in his word to spell this out. Just
read Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel applying it to the Church instead of
Israel and see how accurate it is.
Why Judgment must begin at the house of God.
Because we have heard but not done. We have been hearers of the word
only.
Because we have called Him Lord, Lord, and then disobeyed.
Because we feared the Lord, but served other gods.
Because we have repented but not fully.
Because we have been refreshed but not revived.
Because we have been in the river, but have not gone into the deep.
Because the Bride has played the Harlot, and has to get back her virginity.
Because the Lord of the Harvest must first be Lord of the Laborers.
Because the Church must repent before the World can.
Because the World must see Jesus in us, or it will never see Jesus
till too late.
Part C What can we expect these judgments to be like?
Organized Christianity will be shaken to pieces.
The accuser of the brethren will go all out. Using the worldly media
and also using the Church against it self.
Unprecedented amounts of accusation, envy, jealousy and division.
The Church will have her sin exposed to the world and become a laughing
stock.
Intense strife and conflict in the Church.
Increasing persecution by the World.
Many horrible accusations will come, mostly false but some true and
very devastating.
Many believers will back away or fall away.
Some Christians will be martyred.
Many ministries will fall.
The furnace to be 7 times hotter that in 88-90, when we saw big name
ministries fall right and left.
Increasing signs in the natural reflecting changes in the spiritual.
Part D The Prophecy
For the Lord would say to his people:
The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: For
I am setting my Throne in the midst of my people to establish my kingdom
on this earth. And That Throne that I set in your midst is a Judgment Seat.
The Judgment seat of Christ.
Yea there is Judgment coming to my house, for I shall set my house
in order.
My House must be fitly framed before I can allow it to grow.
Yea there is Judgment coming but my word says, that when my judgments
are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall
rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into
joy.
A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come:
but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the
anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. Shall I bring to the
birth, and not cause to bring forth?
Yea the dragon stands before the woman which was ready to be delivered,
for to devour her child as soon as it was born. But I say this manchild
shall come forth as I have ordained.
Yea, The enemy shall come in like a flood, but I shall raise up a standard
against him.
Yea, there are many weapons being formed against you, but I say No
weapon that is formed against you shall prosper;.
Yea, many tongues shall rise against thee in judgment; but I say thou
shall condemn them all.
When Jesus said to Peter, 'thou are Peter' he pointed at Peter.
When he said "and on this rock I will build my church" he pointed to
Himself.
Yea the gates of hell are open. They are the doors you have opened
by sin.
Yea the foxes have holes, the gates of hell. They are the holes that
the foxes can use to enter my vineyard and spoil my vine.
But I will build my church on this rock - The Lordship of Jesus - and
even though the gates of hell are open, and even though the hordes of hell
flood in, they shall not prevail against you.
Submit unto God! Come under the Lordship of Jesus, then when you resist
the Devil, he will flee.
Yea the enemy has dug a pit for you, but he shall fall into that very
pit himself which he dug.
Yea the wolf shall come and the sheep will be scattered, but the hireling
shall flee, because he is just a hireling. And I shall give you true shepherds
which shall be men after my own heart.
Yea Judgment is coming; Zion shall be plowed like a field. but that
is how the fallow ground will be broken up. Then that fallow ground will
receive the seed of my word. And my word shall go forth to the nations.
This great mountain that man has built in his image will be bought
low and humbled. It will become a plain. Then I will bring forth the Chief
cornerstone, the Headstone. and He that believeth shall not be ashamed.
Yea my hand shall lay the foundation and my hand shall finish the work
and the glory of the latter house shall be greater than that of the former
house.
You have said show us the Father and that will be sufficient, and I
say the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but
I shall show you plainly of the Father.
For whom the Father loveth he chasteneth, and if ye endure chastening,
God dealeth with you as with sons; for this coming Judgment is for our
profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Yea this Judgment that is coming to my house shall be grievous: nevertheless
afterward it shall yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to my people.
For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full
end of all nations yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct
thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
Behold I have told you these things before hand so that when you see
them come to pass, you will believe.
And when you see these things begin to happen, look up for your redemption
draweth near.