The Importance of Knowing the Lord Intimately Now

It is essential to holy living that we know Jesus Christ intimately and be utterly dependent upon Him. Of course, the purpose of living holy lives is for the salvation and spiritual growth of all people with whom we live: that they may see and know Jesus Christ Himself through us, the members of His Body. God’s living waters flow forth to peoples of sun-scorched lands in direct proportion to the degree that His servants remain consecrated and drink the living water directly from Him.

The Lord has had me emphasize the importance of knowing Him intimately since the inception of The Lord Is With Us a year ago, but do you know why He is doing so NOW? He is giving for me to write about the exalted position of His Church and share with you what He’s shown me over the years about the end-time Scriptures (both directly and through a few different godly teachers) in the present ongoing series, Our Exalted Position. Do you know why God is doing this?

Because Jesus is coming very soon for His Bride, and only the wise virgins will be seized up to be with Him BEFORE the coming of antichrist and the great tribulation. His coming is imminent.*

May God grant us all the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in order for us to better know Christ and His astounding end-time purposes for His Church overcomers as we press into His word on this now. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

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After describing events leading up to the end times, the great tribulation itself, and emphasizing the need to discern the times, Jesus alluded to the Jewish wedding custom of His day and essentially told His disciples that He would deliver them from the coming wrath by coming for them as a groom comes for his bride – at a time determined by His Father – and that His coming would be imminent:

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert ! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ” (Mark 13:32-37, Olivet discourse, NIV) (See parallel passages in Matt. 24:36-51 and Luke 17:26-37)

Unrecognized by many well-meaning theologians, Jesus Himself was teaching His disciples – His Bride-to-be – shortly before entering into covenant with them at the last supper that He was going to deliver His future Bride from the coming wrath at a time determined by His Father. Yes, Jesus Himself taught about imminency and the rapture before He led His apostle Paul to teach it roughly two decades later (see 1 Thess. 4:14-17 and 1 Cor.15:51-52)! (Please know that the Lord has revealed this to others also, including theologians willing to be receptive to their anointing by the Holy Spirit and obey Col. 2:8.)

Immediately after Jesus entered into covenant with His remaining eleven disciples, He reminded them again of the Jewish wedding custom by saying: 2“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

Now, here is the part I must emphasize to you today, in hopes that you reblog and/or share this article and inform other Christians of it, for as most all of us know in our spirit, the time is near, right at the door (Matt. 24:33):

ONLY THE WISE VIRGINS – THOSE WITH A SUFFICIENT SUPPLY OF OIL (those who are intimate with Jesus and are sufficiently dependent on Him) WILL BE SEIZED UP (Greek: harpazo) TO BE WITH HIM IN HIS FATHER’S HOUSE BEFORE ANTICHRIST make[s] a covenant with many, which itself is prophesied to be 3.5 years BEFORE THE GREAT TRIBULATION (see Matt. 25:1-13; 1 Thess. 4:17; Dan. 9:27). Yes, Christ will rapture only His wise virgins! Yes, the rapture is pre-tribulation, not mid-tribulation or post-tribulation! (Study the Scriptures themselves as provided in Part 5: The Overcomers and Part 6: The Thrones and the Court as well as Part 7: Sequence of Some End-Time Events, Imminency, and Jesus’ Olivet Discourse and Part 8: The Doors, the Trumpet, and the Transformation.)

Jesus also relayed this information to His beloved apostle John when He repeatedly emphasized to the messengers of the churches in Asia to repent, to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches, and to overcome…, overcome…, overcome (Rev. 2 – 3). Many of you have already read some of this in Part 7, but it merits repeating:

The lukewarm Laodicean Christians will be spit out of His mouth – they are the foolish virgins Jesus referred to in His Olivet discourse, and will NOT be raptured up to the wedding / wedding feast at His Father’s house. They will have to suffer the antichrist and his kingdom, the horrific fourth beast which terrified God’s lion-overcoming prophet Daniel (see Daniel ch. 7). They will have to endure the great tribulation. (Rev. 3:16; Matt. 25:3; John 14:2; Dan. 7:7,8; Matt. 24:21). Whether the foolish virgins left to experience the great tribulation become “tribulation saints” – part of the great multitude of Rev. 7:9 – or not depends on whether they repent and finally obey Jesus’ command to deny [themselves]… and follow [Him], or whether they continue in disobedience [loving] their lives so much as to shrink from death. If they opt to deny Christ and take the mark of the beast, the Lord will eventually tell them, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers. (Matt. 25:3; Rev. 3:19; Mark 8:34; Rev. 12:11; 13:17; Matt. 7:23).

So spread the word, read/reread the series to date, and please pray that I accurately receive all the Lord has to give me for the next parts of the series. God-willing, they will address how the Church is portrayed symbolically in Revelation after chapters 2 and 3, when Christ rescues the persecution-enduring Philadelphian remnant from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth and calls to them in a voice like a trumpet… “Come up here…” (Rev. 3:19; 4:1).

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God bless you all as you press into His word on His astounding purposes for His Church in the end-times!  Here are the links to the entire series “Our Exalted Position” to date – Your sister in Christ, deanna

Our Exalted Position – The Lord Is With Us
https://thelordiswithus.com/contents/

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*Yes, since Pentecost, Christ’s coming for His Bride has always been imminent. Notice in 1 Thess. 4:17 and in 1 Cor. 15:51 that Paul says “we” and not “those” or “they”, for Paul expected to be alive at Christ’s coming for His Bride! God knows us very well, and just a little reflection on the matter shows us that He had to make it so! 😊