The Seeing Generation: Preparation
for The Second Coming Made Plain, Part 4
A series of messages suggesting that the Bible charts the immediate future for
the little flock
Jackson Snyder , December 14 2005; Hanukkah 6, 30 Kislev 5765
Dedicated to Dr. Edmund
Whetstone Robb Jr., 1926-2004
Snyder
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John the Baptist was a contraantidisestablishmentarianist.
Luke 1:13-17 
The angel
said to him: Fear not, Zachariah, for thy prayer is heard,
and thy wife Elizebeth shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name
John; 14 and thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his
birth. 15 For he shall be
great before Yahweh, and wine and strong drink he shall by no means drink, and
he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb; 16 and many of the sons of Israel shall
he turn to Yahweh their Elohim; 17 and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to
turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of
the just, to make ready for Yahweh a people prepared. (This is a modified version of H. T.
Anderson‘s rare New Testament translated from the Codex Sinaiticus, the
work begun in 1861. Contact me for more
info on this translation.)
Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast out into the
earth, he persecuted the woman who had brought forth the man-child. 14 And there were given to the woman two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is
nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman
water as a river, that he might carry her away with a flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman; and the earth opened her
mouth, and swallowed up the river that the dragon threw out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went away to
make war with the rest of her children, that keep the commandments of Yahweh,
and that hold the testimony of Yahshua. (This is a modified version of H. T. Anderson‘s rare New Testament
translated from the Codex Sinaiticus, the work begun in 1861. Contact me for more info on this
translation.)
Signs of the Times
“You can predict the
weather by the sky but you can’t interpret the signs of the times,” said
the Messiah. Sometimes signs of the
times are so obvious that they can be overlooked, or seen and
misinterpreted. Today, an open-eyed
believer can see signs everywhere. But
sometimes it takes a little instruction to bring the meaning of the sign into
understanding.
I’ve heard of a deputy who pulled a car over
for puttering along north toward route 31 at only 8 miles an hour. The deputy counted five “old folks” in the
car, all wide-eyed, open-mouthed and white as ghosts. The lady driver, very upset, shouted at the
deputy, “I was going exactly the speed limit. What’s the problem?” The deputy replied, “Ma’am, you weren’t speeding;
you were going way too slow – I clocked you doing 8 miles per hour. That can be dangerous for others.” But the driver was argumentative, “I can’t be
driving too slow! I’m following the
speed on the sign right there exactly!”
And the lady pointed to the sign then turned up her hearing aid.
The deputy tried explained that the
“8” on the sign was the county road number, not the speed limit. When
she understood her error, she thanked him, then shifted back into drive. “Wait a minute!” said the deputy. “Is everybody in the car OK? Y’all look really shook up!” The driver finished shifting into gear and
started off, shouting out the window, “Don’t worry, deputy; they’ll be all
right in a minute. We just got off route one hundred eighty-nine (189)!”
Signs are worthless unless rightly
interpreted!
Safe in the Wilderness of Confusion
One sign we ought to be seeing now is that
we’re among the only believers in the world who aren’t being persecuted. Why?
Because we’re hidden away in the wilderness of Revelation 12(:13-17) for a time – protected by the water of great oceans. We’re safe because we have a very
important end-time mission to fulfill – to prepare the way for Yahshua
Sabaoth – the Commander of Heavenly Armies.
He’s at the very gate. And he’s
allowed us the liberty at the height of this great world tribulation so that we
may help prepare his way. “Repent, for the Kingdom of the Heavens is at hand!”
is our slogan! We shall be that
small but vocal John the Baptist movement called on to herald Messiah’s
return; we may be that that little flock – informed, sensitive, powerful
and spiritually-minded.
We’ve been looking into the angel’s prophecy
given to Zachariah the priest about his son-to-be, John the Baptist. In the words of the angel, we see a sign! It says, Prepare Ye the Road for Yahweh and
his Mighty Rule. In these heavenly
words, we find seven characteristics of a people prepared. Last time, we spoke of three
characteristics. We’ll review
briefly now:
Firstly) The Angel Said
to Zachariah, “John Will Be Great” – We Must Be a Great People
What makes a people great? The best meaning of “great” is just plain old
“big” – big hopes, big dreams and big faith.
We are great, and we make disciples who are great. Our greatness goes beyond that of the warlike
antichrists who carry bombs and machine guns.
“The weapons of our warfare aren’t carnal but mighty to the pulling down
of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). We are magnanimous, loving and
a wider-visioned people, gifted and active, a more compassionate – and we
must be if we’re to defeat an unseen enemy with only the sword of His mouth
and all prayer. If we want to be
great, we can be – we simply must decide, “I’ll BE a great
believer.” The sky’s certainly not
the limit when you have an invincible faith and an almighty god.
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Secondly) The Angel
Said, “John Shall Drink No Wine” – We Must Be a Serious (Sober) People
¿What does our mission have to do with
drinking? “He shall not drink wine” is a
technical expression meaning that John turned down the luxury of a lucrative
priesthood for a bowl of grasshoppers, a dry desert and plenty of trouble – to
fulfill an exciting and dangerous mission: preparing for the advent of the
greatest person “who ever lived to make intercession for you” (Hebrews
7:25).
With a sober determination and calculation, John passed up what was
convenient and profitable for a Kingdom in the Skies – a kingdom that came in
the form of a man who will return as an all-powerful, life-giving spirit.
Thirdly) The Angel
Said, “John Will Be Filled With The Holy Spirit” – We’re to Be a Spirit-filled
People
John attested, “I
have baptized you with water but he will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and fire.” And the
Messiah reiterated this same message to his disciples:
Acts 1:5. “You heard from
me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit.”
We’re to be a
spirit-filled people ¿but how can we be unless we’ve experienced the
deep move of Yahweh’s Spirit inside?
¿How can we be when we haven’t tried?
When the Holy Spirit descended into the upper room on the feast of
Pentecost in the “year of our LORD” 33,
over a hundred people were there awaiting him!
And they weren’t disappointed!
There was a rushing wind, flames of fire, tongues of men and angels,
inspired speaking and a wineless drunkenness.
My friend, if you’re spirit-filled and baptized in the fire, you know
it. There’s evidence in you. Boldness!
Authority! Fruits! Gifts!
Discernment! And a deep love for
the Baptizer. In times like these,
maybe you need revival! Beseech Yahweh
to baptize you in his Holy Spirit with tears, then tarry until you receive the
empowerment to live every day in faith’s victory!
Fourthly) The Angel
Said, “He Will Turn Many To Yahweh” – We Must Likewise Be a Witnessing People
The work of evangelization is the work of
reconciling god with humanity, and human with human. The goal of preparing a people is atonement
and unity. I don’t mean the kind
of strained unity achieved by councils and conferences, where liberals and
conservatives find enough common ground to protect their financial and
intellectual investments. No, I mean the
unity that comes from subordinating our wishes to that of Messiah, his Law, his
Love, and His purpose; and teaching others to do likewise through our
example. Then when Messiah makes his
public appearance, he’ll find faith on earth: a people in spirit unity.
John baptized at Bethany Beyond Jordan –
that’s on the West Bank outside
Those were the days, my friend. In our land of luxury, there’s too much
competition for souls. Too many ol’ ball
games. Too many TV specials. Too many entertaining churches. Too many doctors’ appointments. Too many substitutes for the real. Too many replacements for the inner
void. Too many foul spirits to fill in
empty hearts.
Ooooh, if we were given the gift of
paucity – if our land was afflicted with penury – if we found
ourselves in poverty, then perchance we’d come out to
meet him; yeah, we’d bust out of
That’s another characteristic of John’s
prophetic ministry.
Fifthly) The Angel Said, “John Will Go In The Power Of Elijah” – We Can Be a Powerful People
Yahshua proclaimed John to be the Elijah
of his day. The first Elijah
worked during the reign of King Ahab.
Listen. Ahab’s queen, Jezebel,
brought her own goddesses and priests (from Sidonia) into
John the Baptist took on the
Ahab and Jezebel of his day – i.e. King Herod and Queen
Herodias. The King had married his
niece, who was already the wife of his brother.
Figure that one out. This situation
was against the law (Leviticus 18:16). John publicly denounced Herod
as a criminal and impostor. John the
Baptist wasn’t only the people’s religious icon, but their political hero.
Now, Elijah of old was known for his
miracle-working power. Fire flew from
heaven when he bested the prophets of Baal.
Elijah raised the dead and ascended on high. But John wasn’t a miracle worker in that
sense. He had a different gift –
that of evangelist. He was able,
through supernatural means, to persuade people of every stripe to repent
and believe. John performed powerful internal
miracles.
Elijah was saved from Ahab’s fury by the
heavenly chariot. But John died a martyr
for a heavenly reward. Spiritual power
takes a different form in the latter day than in the former. Power today means internal fortitude –
spiritual authority – sticktoitiveness – willingness to sacrifice – tough
love. Such power never comes by conquest
but surrender. For even when
we’re at our ebb, Yahweh’s high and lifted up for us. We are a sheep of his pasture: the little
flock of his hand; and through his hand, we become like both Elijah and
John the Baptist, no matter what our physical state may be.
Sixthly) The Angel Said,
“John Will Turn The Hearts Of The Fathers to the Children” – People Will Expect
More From Us
I heard a psychologist say that the most
valuable three words she can offer patients are: “Get over it!” She said, “You’d be amazed how that works
when spoken with authority.” This
psychologist endues her authority on the powerless patient; she forces the weak
to move beyond frailty to daring-do.
“Get over it!” Now, that’s a wake-up call.
Yahshua did the same thing with his
disciples: He said, “Be at peace – As
the Father has sent me, now I send you.”
Then he breathed on them, and said, “Receive
the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins
of any, they are forgiven; if you retain them, they are retained” (John
20:21-23). To fulfill this kind of awesome
responsibility, these boys and girls had to “forget about themselves and
concentrate on him.” His power
became theirs. His ability became
theirs. His authority and power passed
onto them through his word, and his risk became their risk.
Only G-d could forgive sins before. Imagine the burden of forgiving sins – and
the illegality of it. At that time,
forgiving sins was a death sentence. No
matter their personal idiosyncrasies, hindrances, baggages, oppressions – in
regard to the word of eternal salvation, the little flock of “confessors” just
had to be drop kicked beyond fear so that they could get on to
the goal line of mission. Likewise, you
and I, by the virtue of coming out to this place, become labeled. We have the name Yahshua on our foreheads. This is not a popular name. Men have died for less. That’s why the flock is a little flock. People are examining you – expecting
something. Give ‘em more than they
expect! Give them the imitation of the
spirit-man who brands us with his mark! Give them Yahshua.
Finally) The Angel
Said, “John Will Turn The Disobedient” –We Must Be a People of Righteous
Judgment
When the Son of Man spoke to the unconverted
masses, he said, “Judge not lest ye be judged”
(Matthew 7:1). But when he spoke to the religious, he
said, “Judge with righteous judgment” (John
7:24).
The ability to forgive and retain sins is based on right judgment. We must judge, and judge
with righteousness. That’s the job
of the converted.
Paul interprets judgment in an even
more assertive way –
Ephesians 5:11-17 (excerpts). Take no part in the
unfruitful works of darkness, but expose them instead. … Look
carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of
the time… Don’t be foolish; understand Yahweh’s
will.
We must be
judgmental; we must judge, understanding the will of the Most High and
exposing evil at every turn. Whoever
says, “Don’t judge” just doesn’t understand
the sign.
In May of 2004, the business
meeting of one of a church denomination took place in a large, Midwestern
city. On the table was a referendum to
amend church law so as to include homosexuality as an accepted church teaching. If passed, the amendment would vindicate
leaders of the denomination who’d appointed homosexuals to pastorates, allowing
them to perform same-sex marriages. The
vote was against the amendment by a fairly small margin.
Later in the meeting, five
hundred members of a homosexual advocacy group marched into the meeting to
disrupt church business. I said, “500 marched in!” Lots of church delegates joined them,
including several key leaders. You’d
expect righteous judgment on a demonstration of this type. But not one person in authority said a
word; on the contrary, the leader of the session thanked the
demonstrators when they finally decided to leave.
Listen – open and free homosexuality may
or may not be compatible with church teaching. It all depends on the vote of the people
in the church. But the idea of
appointing homosexuals to run the church is definitely incompatible with the
Bible, which should be the standard of judgment rather than “church
teaching.” Every one who affirmed the
Bible as the canon of truth in that meeting remained silent when right
judgment is required.
The Millennium Mission
We are to know right from wrong. We are to judge angels! And there’re plenty of fallen angels right
here and now to judge. We’re to mind
Yahweh’s Law so as to learn our jobs for when Messiah makes his public stand
and calls us forth to work. Some here
will be judges in the Millennium Reign, others, legislators. Some teachers and preachers, lawyers and
advocates, administrators and theologians, nurse and great thinkers. Some will be parents; others, children. All will have meaningful chores in the
household of the Faithful Witness.
Yea! When he comes it’ll be a
great day for the little flock. If he’s
not stolen in like a thief already, he’s at the gate. For many, the sight of that will bring the
gnashing of teeth.
YOU are in the seeing generation. Are you becoming great and serious? Spirit-filled? Witnessing with your life? Are you becoming a powerful person able to
bestow miraculous gifts? Forgive
sins? Bless the needful? Will you judge with righteous judgment?
Are we a people prepared? Then, let us go forth:
Silent, like men in solemn haste, Girded wayfarers of the waste,
We pass out at the world’s wide gate, Turning our back on all its state;
We press along the narrow road That leads to life, to bliss, to God.
We cannot and we
would not stay; We dread the snares that throng the way,
We fling aside the weight and sin, Resolved the victory to win;
We know the peril, but our eyes Rest on the splendor of the prize.
No idling now, no
wasteful sleep, From Christian toil our limbs to keep;
No shrinking from the desperate fight, No thought of yielding or of flight;
No love of present gain or ease, No seeking man or self to please.
No sorrow for the
loss of fame, No dread of scandal on our name;
No terror for the world’s sharp scorn, No wish that taunting to return;
No hatred can to hatred move, And enmity but kindles love.
No sigh for
laughter left behind, Or pleasures scattered to the wind;
No looking back on Sodom’s plains, No listening still to Babel’s strains;
No tears for Egypt’s song and smile, No thirsting for its flowing Nile.
What though with
weariness oppressed? ‘Tis but a little and we rest.
This throbbing heart and burning brain Will soon be calm and cool again;
Night is far spent and morn is near—Morn of the cloudless and the clear.
‘Tis but a little
and we come To our reward, our crown, our home!
Another year, or more, or less, And we have crossed the wilderness;
Finished the toil, the rest begun, The battle fought, the triumph won!
We grudge not,
then, the toil, the way; Its ending is the endless day!
We shrink not from these tempests keen, With little of the calm between;
We welcome each descending sun, Ere morn our joy may be begun!
-Horatius
Bonar.