Wise Men Seek Him
Christine Beadsworth
South Africa
Dec 6, 2008
Beloved,
The Spirit has been very active in the past few days, whispering and urging and warning more frequently than in the past months. We must not brush aside this still small voice but rather stop and listen as He unfolds further understanding. We ignore the urgings of the Holy Spirit at our peril. Last Sunday (30th November) I was watching my nephew act in a Christmas play at a local fellowship and as the wise men came on-stage, the Holy Spirit diverted my attention from what was going on before my eyes and whispered an urgent message.
He said that those wise men represented those who had understanding of the times and knew what to do. As soon as they saw the star in the heavens, they left Babylon and began their journey to where the child was. I filed this piece of information, knowing it was only the beginning of the message. The next day was 1st December and there was an unusual configuration which took place in the night sky. Jupiter and Venus were in close proximity to the moon. I do not have space here to go into an explanation of the significance of this. There are a number of good writings on the Internet which give insight into this sign in the sky. A sample of them can be found at the following addresses: http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/message-in-heavens.html and http://www.injesus.com/index.phpmodule=message&task=view&MID=VB007FL6&GroupID=0B001BSP . Suffice to say that Joel says there will be signs in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, before the great and terrible day of the Lord. These signs are to help us, just as road signs show us the destination we are headed towards. We must have revelation of the signs and understanding of the times, so that we know what to do.
Two weeks ago the Spirit whispered one word to me as I woke up - “consolidate”. As He said it, I knew He meant 'put all your eggs in one basket'. In other words, don't keep leaving all your options open, take the plunge and choose your basket! Beloved, putting all these puzzle pieces together, I am strongly sensing that it is time for all those who are wise to finally leave the Babylonian religious systems and their trappings and begin their journey in search of the manchild.
It is time to stop going through the motions of religion and go in search of relationship with those in real relationship with Jesus. There are some who have recognized mixture and uncleanness and have been grieved by it – they know they have been living in Babylon and have prayed much for conviction to come to those with influence, knowing that judgment is at the door for the house of God. However, there comes a time for even the faithful intercessor to be removed to safety. There is a difference between ignorance of truth and blatant disregard of truth in favor of following the traditions of men and doctrines of demons. Remember Lot whose soul was grieved by the perversion of Sodom. God sent angels to take him out of Sodom just before judgment fell. For those who have been reading the signs and praying for understanding to know what to do, I believe the Spirit for the Lord is warning that it is time to be completely separate from that which is unclean.
Isa 52:11 Turn! Turn! Go out from there! Touch not the unclean. Go out of her midst; purify yourself, bearers of the vessels of the Lord.
The time when judgment falls is not the time to be found living in compromise or the fear of man. Light cannot fellowship with darkness.
2Co 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with
idols? for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell
in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.
I am not saying that everyone reading this must leave all fellowships and go into hiding. Please understand this. If you are fellowshipping with a group of believers who preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ and are hungering after holiness and the leading of the Spirit, that is good. You will know that you are already receiving portions of the Bread of Life and drinking living water from the Rock. There are trustworthy shepherds who have been watching over their flocks during the night season, who have been granted the revelation of what God is bringing forth in this season. They have seen this Christ whose arrival was accompanied with angelic rejoicing and are under the headship of the Great Shepherd. However, for those who have known in their hearts that their time of departure and separation from the man-centered religious establishments would be coming, please hear the urgent voice of the Holy Spirit. It is time to set out on your journey to find the manchild company.
Where will you find them? In the same place as the first wise men found Christ – in Bethlehem, the House of Bread. There is gathering a great company of every color and creed, called out of the worldly idol-filled church by the Spirit of Truth and they are gathering in the wilderness.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, so that they might nourish her there a thousand, two hundred and sixty days.
Well, where is the wilderness? It is not a physical place but a spiritual place. In Matthew 24, Jesus warned that it is not about physical location.
Mat 24:26 Therefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert! Do not go out. Behold, He is in the secret rooms! Do not believe it.
To understand this concept of fleeing to the wilderness we need to remember that the wilderness was the place in which God's people were fed daily with manna and God's presence was in the midst of them in the form of a pillar of cloud and of fire. The Father is once again gathering a holy temple, a Body of true believers who have separated themselves from idolatry and who hunger and thirst after the righteousness that only He can give. God will feed this woman, the Bride, in the wilderness for three and a half years. Wherever two or three are gathered worshiping in Spirit and in Truth, He is in the midst of them. For those who have not yet found this real fellowship, it is time to stop going through the motions in the religious system and begin to seek true fellowship with the manchild company that God is bringing forth in this season.
Who are they and how will one recognize them? Revelation 12 tells us that according to the sign described in the sky, as soon as they come forth they will enter into a place of protection from the dragon and close fellowship with God.
Rev 12:5 And she bore a son, a male, who is going to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
This is a mystery - for the woman in the wilderness and the manchild company are one and the same. Just as Mary gave birth to Jesus and yet was also a believer and one of the company who followed Him, so too the virgin Bride brings forth the manchild company and yet is a part of them. The manchild represents the spiritual position of those who have been in a womb of preparation until they are brought forth and are immediately seated and at rest in heavenly places on Mount Zion, far above principalities and powers. They are in intimacy with the Bridegroom and follow Him wherever He goes.
The woman represents the earthly position of the Bride. She is still physically on earth at this time and suffering persecution, yet in the presence of God day and night for He is in the midst of her in power, nourishing and caring for her on a daily basis.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
The woman is a company of those who have been waiting on the Lord according to Isaiah:
Isa 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and
the young men shall utterly fall:
Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they
shall walk, and not faint.
Amazingly, the word translated 'wait' in this verse actually means ' to bind together, to collect, to gather together'. The Spirit is gathering together the Bride and giving her the wings of an eagle to soar on the thermals of the Spirit above the storms that are coming. Revelation 12:14 tells us this woman has a place appointed her. Did not Jesus say He has gone to prepare a place for us? It is a heavenly place which we occupy even while our feet walk planet earth. We will be nourished there but what will we eat? The Israelites received daily manna and drank from the Rock which followed them. What does the manna represent for us today? Jesus gives some very cryptic clues in Matthew 24.
Mat 24:27 For as the lightning comes out of the east and
shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Mat 24:28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered.
Lightening represents revelation which comes from Heaven and hits earth. Jesus said He is the light of the world and also the true Bread that came down from Heaven. This woman gathering in the wilderness will be nourished with the Bread of Heaven, the revelation of Christ. This revelation will not only be seen in certain fellowships or countries but just as lightening hits in the east and shines to the west, so the revelation of Christ being poured out will be available to the Bride, no matter which part of the earth you are in. There will be no need to travel to other countries to certain fellowships in order to 'get the anointing'. If you have separated yourself from Babylon and gathered with true believers on Mount Zion, wherever in the world you are, the Bread of Heaven will be released to nourish you.
Verse 28 has mystified many and I have heard some strange explanations concerning the carcass. However if we look at Luke's rendition of this conversation, it becomes clearer. Jesus was explaining that a time of separation would occur :
Luk 17:34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two in
one bed, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Luk 17:35 Two shall be grinding together, one will be taken, and the other
left.
Luk 17:36 Two shall be in the field, one will be taken, and the other left.
Luk 17:37 And they answered and said to Him, Where, Lord? And He said to them,
Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
Wherever the body is, the eagles will gather. The gathering of the true Body of Christ is the gathering of an eagle company. However we must understand what this separation actually depicts. Backing up a few verses, we see that Jesus mentions Lot:
Luk 17:28 So also as it was in the days of Lot: they ate,
they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
Luk 17:29 but the day Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and
brimstone from the heaven and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:30 Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
Lot was not taken to Heaven physically, but removed from the place where judgment was appointed to fall. It is time for righteous Lot to leave Sodom, just as it was time for the wise men to leave Babylon and go in search of the manchild company. You will find them in the House of Bread, in Christ the Bread of Life.
Mat 2:11 And coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother. And they fell down and worshiped Him. And opening their treasures, they presented gifts to Him, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Note that the woman and the child were together in the house. The manchild caught up to the throne and the woman in the wilderness are one. The gifts represent the treasure of revelation that have been deposited within these wise men. They bring them forth in the presence of the manchild company. They are revelations about kingship (gold), worship and intercession (frankincense) and suffering (myrrh) which the Bride must undergo.
Jesus warned that when we receive the message that it is time to leave, that we must not then take time to gather belongings to take with us. The things that are in the house where we have been up to now will not be relevant where we are going. All the revelation we need is within us – we are fully equipped lacking nothing for we have Christ within. Every external trapping will only weigh us down. Leave the garments of Babylon behind. Don't look back longingly at what you have left. Don't try to preserve that which is appointed for judgment, even if it is your nice tidy life and position in the religious establishment:
Luk 17:31 In that day he who shall be on the housetop,
and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And
likewise, he who is in the field, let him not return to the things behind.
Luk 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.
Luk 17:33 Whoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whoever shall
lose his life shall preserve it.
The reason God wants you to come out and be separate and uncompromising is because He has promised to keep His overcomers safe from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole earth. It is not time to be involved with those who preach humanistic doctrines and pander to the flesh. It is time to dwell in heavenly places, not just visit them now and again. Herod wanted to kill Jesus and there will be those in the religious establishment who seek to destroy the revelation of Christ being brought forth in this hour. They may appear to be interested in the revelation the wise men share but in actuality, you are casting your pearls before swine and you will be trampled underfoot. If you are dwelling in heavenly places in Christ, a time of rejoicing is coming. For those who are bound to the earth and all the world has to offer, sorrow is waiting round the corner:
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and those tabernacling in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and in the sea! For the Devil came down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a little time.
Jesus was betrayed by one in the midst of His inner group and the Pharisees, leaders of the religious establishment of the day, plotted the crucifixion of Jesus. There is great persecution coming upon the true believers of Jesus Christ and much of it will come from within the ranks of the so-called church and also the government. Remember the Pharisees used the law of the Roman authority to get Jesus condemned to death. The Babylonian religious establishment of today with cooperate with government in order to try to destroy the true Church of Jesus Christ. Have understanding of the times and realize what it is you need to do.
The eagles are gathering in the wilderness, feeding upon the carcass . A carcass provides fresh meat. The flesh of Jesus, the Bread of Life, is true meat and the only form of nourishment that will give you the strength you need for the days that lie ahead. Get together with those who want to be wholly separated unto the Lord. God will lead you to true fellowship if you make the right heart choices at this juncture, just as the star led those wise men all the way from Babylon to the house in Bethlehem. When we as the true Body of Jesus gather under the Head as He wills and instructs and receive the life-giving flow of revelation from the Spirit, we will run and not be weary. Nor will we faint in the day of adversity. Babylon is appointed for judgment. If we do not want to suffer the same plagues appointed her, we must heed the voice of the Spirit:
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her
iniquities.
Lets pray:
Father, I truly desire to be found fellowshipping on Mount Zion, touching no unclean thing. Give me understanding of the times we are in and the courage to do what I need to do and lead me to true fellowship with that manchild company in Spirit and in Truth. Thank you for divine connections in the coming days as You lead me step by step to the place You have prepared for me to be nourished in. May I walk in the fear of God and not of man, amen.
Thorny Issues
Christine Beadsworth
Dec 11, 2008
Greetings, precious saints
Paul does say that we are living letters and I want to share a recent experience with you and the warning that came out of it. A week or two ago I was in my garden and saw that there was a dead branch that needed removing in the middle of one of the flowerbeds. So I leaned over and began to pull on it. It was more difficult than I realized and I had to throw all my weight and strength into breaking it off. Suddenly I overbalanced, flipped over and landed on my back in the middle of a clump of rose bushes. I was winded, severely scratched and because my right foot was still snagged in rose branches, I had no way of extricating myself from the situation. After a while my husband heard my groans from the kitchen and came to help me. He had to pick me up like a dead weight as I was unable to use any of my limbs to free myself! Of course my son thought this was hilarious and asked me if I had resorted to manually pruning my roses! When I examined my injuries, all the scratches and thorns were in my right arm and leg.
I thought no more of it until at least a week later the Holy Spirit dropped a phrase into my mind – 'some fell among thorns'. Suddenly I realized that there was a message in my unfortunate encounter with the rose bushes. This phrase was spoken by Jesus in His parable of the Sower and the Seed.
Luk 8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Then He explains what this seed represents;
Luk 8:14 "But the seed having fallen into the thorns, these are the ones having heard, and going, are choked by anxieties and riches and pleasures of this life, and do not produce mature fruit.
Beloved, we are His seed because we are born of an incorruptible Seed, the Living Word of God. Once we are born again we are sent forth in order to produce fruit. However, I sense there are many who have fallen among thorns and do not even realize it. I had focused all my concentration upon something that was dead and had thrown all my weight into that which was right before my eyes. I did not realize that I was off-balance and in danger of falling. It came as a complete surprise to me and by the time I realized what had happened it was too late and I was unable to extricate myself from the predicament. I needed the help of my husband and his strength to deliver me from the snare I was in.
I sense the Holy Spirit is sounding a warning that many of the saints are throwing all their weight and attention into things which have no life in them. They are unaware that their lives are completely off-balance and that a fall is imminent. The riches and pleasures of life have grown up around them and are in the process of squeezing the life out of them – yet they are unaware of the danger straight ahead. The injuries were to my right arm and leg and foot, speaking of damage to our Christian walk and the works of our hands for the Lord. I believe the warning is being sounded urgently by the Spirit because of the days we are living in. Jesus, in His discussion about the coming of the day of the Lord warned His listeners:
Luk 21:34AMP And take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts are overburdened and weighed down with the giddiness and headache of self-indulgence, drunkenness and worldly worries and cares pertaining to the business of this life; and that day come suddenly upon you like a trap or a snare; Luk 21:35 for it shall come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.
Beloved, the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches and the lust for other things are a bed of thorns growing right in the garden of our own hearts and they are busy choking the life out of us and will be the snare that entraps us because we are unprepared for the day that is upon us. We must awaken before it is too late and re-order our priorities and bring our lives back into balance. Where are all our energies being expended? Where is our whole weight concentrated on? Is it upon the things of this life, the business of making money and accumulating possessions, of indulging in pleasures and entertainment that we feel we deserve at the end of a hard day at the office?
Paul warns Timothy in his letter that in the last days people would be lovers of self and self-centered, with an inordinate desire for wealth. This is not only talking about the unsaved! He goes on to describe the state of people's hearts in greater detail:
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, rash and inflated with self-conceit. They will be lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements rather than lovers of God;
'Lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements' – does that not describe our entertainment-crazed society to a tee? Especially in the season of the year that is upon us, the god of mammon is whipping the world up into a frenzy of shopping, partying and excess. Especially this year, it is vital that the saints do not allow themselves to get caught up in all of this. Judgment is at the door and it is a time to be watching and praying that you do not fall into temptation. Just as my fall into the rose bushes was sudden and unexpected, so too, the day of the Lord comes suddenly and we must be adequately prepared spiritually.
1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
The sons of God are His seed in the earth. To fall among thorns is almost like falling among thieves. The man who did so on his way to Jericho came to great harm.
Luk 10:30 And answering, Jesus said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
This man lost his garment and received many wounds. If we do not watch and pray we will suffer the same fate. The deceitfulness of riches and the pursuit of pleasure are thieves that will choke the life out of us. We who think we stand, must be careful, lest we fall unexpectedly. We must examine our lives to check that we are balanced and not throwing our weight into things that have no life. A snare is never obvious or one would not be entrapped by it. Some of us are too busy admiring the roses to be aware of the thorns on their branches. Are we too wrapped up in the affairs of this life or are we behaving as citizens of another kingdom, a kingdom not of this world? If our state of well-being is attached to the stock markets and world financial systems, we will be tossed about by every surging and waning tide. Is our treasure in earthly things or heavenly things? Wherever our treasure is, our heart will be attached there.
For some in the church it is already too late - they have moved from being off-balance to being flat on their backs in the midst of the thorns, wounded, trapped and unable to help themselves.
1Ti 6:9 But they who will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which plunge men into destruction and perdition. 1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all evils, of which some having lusted after, they were seduced from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
They need the Bridegroom to come and lift them out of the path they have fallen into. Beloved, if this is you, if you have become entangled in the pursuits of the world to the detriment of your walk with God; if you are surprised to suddenly find yourself helpless in the midst of the a snare of wasteful living and excess and the pursuit of pleasure, then call out to the Bridegroom. He is the only one that is able to lift you out of this place and attend to your wounds. Repent of serving the gods of this world, materialism and self-indulgence and He will set you back on your feet so that you may take up your station at the watchtower, praying that you may be able to escape the things that are coming on the earth.
Just as my husband heard my cries for help and came running to my aid, so too will the Bridegroom come to the aid of those who call out to Him for help:
Psa 18:4 The cords of death compassed me, and the streams
of ungodliness and torrents of ruin made me afraid.
Psa 18:5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me : the snares of death confronted me.
Psa 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard
my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears....
Psa 18:16 He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters.
Psa 18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me;
for they were too strong for me.
There is so little time to adjust areas of our lives that are off-balance. We must repent of friendship with the world and its values and realize that we may have fallen among thorns. If we remain in this place, all life will be choked out of us and we will bring nothing to fruition in our walk with God. Just as it happened with me, if we are leaning all our weight on the things of the world which have no life, be warned that their collapse is imminent and those who lean upon them shall fall with them.
2Ti 2:3 Therefore, you endure hardship as a good soldier
of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 No one serving as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of
civilian life, his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him.
Let us move from being lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements to being passionate lovers of God, shining like lights in an ungodly generation, as we hold out the word of life.
Selah