Hungering and Thirsting
For Righteousness
Cont., page 2
THE
FULFILLING BRIDE
The solution is for Yahweh to call out a people
who with their whole hearts will pursue righteousness and truth; who will
perform deeds consistent with repentance, even as John the Baptist called for;
and thereupon prepare the way for Immanuel. And of necessity, these are not
Christians, but the Bride—set apart, making herself ready for Him
(Revelation 19:7)—and are the completion of that which He began at the
very beginning of the church in the first Remnant. These two Remnant works, separated by
the Body of Christ, are the elect, spoken of in Matthew 24:22 and 24, Mark
13:20 and 27, and Luke 18:6-8. They
cannot be the Body of Christ (Christians), because as clearly stated in
Zechariah 13:7-9, Christians have been cut off from the kingdom of the Shepherd
and died. They are sleeping,
waiting for the completion of their three days and three nights (3,000 years)
in the grave. That is why it is
absolutely essential that Yahweh send His Spirit; establish the second son of
fresh oil spoken of in Zechariah 4:14, the second Remnant; and call the Bride
up to heaven. (Read Resurrection
and Judgment.)
As addressed in Trinities, page 3, recorded in Matthew 24:22 and Mark
13:20, Yahshua spoke of the necessity of the days of Christianity being cut
short, and that accomplished by a unique and specific work:
Unless those days had
been cut short, no flesh would have been saved; but through the elect those days will be cut short.
So we see here that it is ÒthroughÓ the elect that these days are indeed cut short. Again, this is the Bride work. And the days being cut short are the
Ògreat tribulation,Ó spoken of immediately preceding both of these verses. As addressed in The
Great Tribulation, this is the period
of the church to this very day, and would last for another 1,000 years if not
Òcut short.Ó
In addition to these days being cut
short through the elect, we find in Malachi, the book that reveals the Elijah,
that he not only effects the same, but also purifies
this Bride. Regarding the former,
in Malachi 4:5-6 we read again regarding this great tribulation:
ÒBehold,
I am going to send you Elijah the prophet in the presence of the coming great and terrible day of Yahweh . . .
so that I will not come and smite the
land with a curse.Ó
As addressed in The
Great Tribulation, page 4, it is indeed the Elijah who prevents
Yahweh from continuing this great and terrible day, the great
tribulation—the church for the last 2,000 years.
Therefore, by Yahweh sending the
fulfilling Elijah, as well as through the elect Elijah company,
His Bride, the great tribulation is cut short from three to two. The Millennial Reign of Immanuel and His
Bride will then fulfill what kingdom man has failed to accomplish for 2,000
years.
Likewise, this is the Òrestraining oneÓ
spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:7:
For the mystery of
lawlessness is already at work; only the restraining
one will do so until it
comes out of the midst.
You can read much more about this in The Great
Tribulation, page 6. But
clearly, the former and latter works of the Holy
Spirit that precede and complete the church period—the two Remnant—are in fact those who restrain the lawless and
effect Immanuel’s coming.
This
restraining effect is definitely attested to in the Elijah, even the
Bride. It is a restraint in sin and
worldliness, which are the opposite of righteousness. We read in 2 Peter 3:11-14:
.
. . what sort of people must [to bind]
you be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening [quickening]
the coming of the day of God . . . ?
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new
earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for
these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless . . . .
First,
again we see the hastening, or quickening, of the day of God—quickening
it to come early. Furthermore, if
Immanuel is coming for a bride that is Òspotless and blameless,Ó and Òwithout
spot or wrinkle or any such thingÓ (Ephesians 5:27), it is obvious that there
MUST be a cleansing of a people before His coming, a place in which
righteousness dwells. This is
equally expected insomuch that the bride of the Lamb makes herself ready, being
clothed in Òthe righteous acts of the saintsÓ (Revelation 19:7 and 8). And, the same is clearly evidenced in
Exodus 19:10-11, when Yahweh was to Òcome down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all
the people.Ó Evidencing the
Millennial Reign, this too was to be on the third day. What was their obligation
beforehand? They were likewise to
prepare for His coming by consecrating themselves to Him.
This was
the like purpose of John the Baptist, foreshadowing the work of the fulfilling
Elijah. John possessed the spirit and power of
Elijah (Luke 1:17); but, he was not the fulfilling Elijah.
This he clearly stated when asked if he was Elijah, and he answered,
ÒNoÓ (John 1:21). And after John
was killed, Yahshua declared that Elijah was yet to come: ÒElijah is coming and will restore all
thingsÓ (Matthew 17:11). Therefore,
by his call to repent and to perform deeds consistent with repentance, John
testified that this will indeed be the work of the
fulfilling Elijah.
This fact is exceptionally clear upon
reading that which is promised concerning Elijah. In Malachi 3:1, he is identified as, ÒMy
messengerÓ who will Òclear the way before Me,Ó and is
the Òmessenger of the covenant.Ó
Some translations want to make this Immanuel, but this is
impossible. The messenger clears
the way before Immanuel. Thus, verses 2 and 3 continue
addressing the Elijah:
But who can endure
the day of his coming? And who can
stand when he appears? For he is
like a refiner's fire and like
fullers' soap. He will sit as a
smelter and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine
them like gold and silver, so that they may present to Yahweh offerings in
righteousness.
Finally,
following the bowls in Revelation 15 and 16, and immediately after the great whore in Revelation 17 and 18 and her
judgment—all of this being Christianity—comes the essential and
fulfilling Òcome-out-of-her-My-peopleÓ Bride in the concluding chapters, 19
thru 22. In Revelation 19:7 we thus
read, ÒLet us rejoice and be glad and give
the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made
herself ready.Ó The Bride is indeed
the essential conclusion of all the wrath and corruption of the kingdom of
heaven, the church, that has taken place for 2,000
years. Thus we heartily agree with
the concluding words of Revelation 22:17:
The Spirit and the
bride say, "Come." And
let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes freely take the water of life.
Continue to page 3 of Hungering and Thirsting For Righteousness
for PURIFY YOURSELF