The Elders of the Congregations

Will Be Put to the Test

from the book YHWH Is Calling

Esteemed representatives of the elders of Christian congregations, remember the character of your Creator. His justice and fairness are unwavering. The Lord places the leaders of Christian congregations in the same trial during this present age as He once did with the Jewish scribes and Pharisees.

At the time of our Savior’s first coming, only a small portion of the Jewish priests, rabbis, and Pharisees accepted Jesus and His call to follow Him. Even though the Jewish priests and scribes knew the Scriptures exemplarily, unbelief prevailed when the long-awaited Savior, for centuries, stood before them. Not even the miracles and signs performed by Jesus removed their unbelief—quite the contrary. The same fate, to be persecuted by the spiritual elders and labeled as some sort of conspiracy theorists, befell most of the disciples who had partaken in the Holy Spirit when they stood before the learned.

For centuries, the Jewish people have been reminded and reproached by many Christians for not recognizing that Jesus, who lived among them, was indeed the promised Messiah. But what will become of us Christians now, esteemed leaders of Christian congregations? Will the elders of Christian congregations even test the Lord’s call proclaimed through the mouth of His servant? Do today’s Christian congregations have greater faith and courage than their ancient brothers in faith to respond to the Lord’s call, which, as is typical of the Lord’s ways, is once again presented suddenly and from an unexpected source?

I wish I could write to you about this continuation of the Good News with the same joy I had when I wrote to my friend about the donkey vision. However, it is difficult because it is written that only a remnant will endure this time of the Lord’s sifting related to the Good News. In the midst of joy, I cannot help but already feel sorrow knowing that many will reject the call, just as so many who sanctified the name of God did during the Lord’s first coming. On the other hand, it has been ordained to happen this way, so that neither of the sisters of Zion can boast over the other when the Lord reunites the daughters of ancient Jerusalem into one people—a purified bridal congregation waiting for His return. (Bridal congregation = those who have received Jesus in their hearts, the sisters of Zion, and those joined with them = believers in Jesus descended from the ancient southern tribe of Judah + believers in Jesus descended from the ancient northern tribe of Ephraim/Israel + all believers in Jesus from the Gentile nations, who have in practice become part of the promise given to Abraham, as was already prophesied in Ezekiel chapter 37).

“‘Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful

kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth;

Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,’

says the Lord. For surely I will command,

And will sift the house of Israel among all nations,

as grain is sifted in a sieve; Yet not the smallest

grain shall fall to the ground. All the sinners of

My people shall die by the sword, Who say,

‘The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’

‘On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David,

which has fallen down, and repair its damages;

I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old;’”

Amos 9:8-1 (NKJV)

“‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand,

with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out,

‘I will rule over you. I will bring you out from the peoples

and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered,

with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm,

and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into

the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead

My case with you face to face. Just as I pleaded My

case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt,

so I will plead My case with you,’ says the Lord God.

‘I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring

you into the bond of the covenant;I will purge the rebels

from among you, and those who transgress against Me;

I will bring them out of the country where they dwell,

but they shall not enter the land of Israel.

Then you will know that I am the Lord.

‘As for you, O house of Israel’ thus says the Lord God:

‘Go, serve every one of you his idols--and hereafter—

if you will not obey me; but profane My holy name

no more with your gifts and your idols.

For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of

Israel,’ says the Lord God, ‘there all the house

of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me;

there I will accept them, and there I will require

your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices,

together with all your holy things.

I will accept you as a sweet aroma when

I bring you out from the peoples and gather

you out of the countries where you have been scattered;

and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.”

Ezekiel 20:33-41 (NKJV)

The era that began with the raising of the signal banner marks the time of sifting before the Lord’s return, from which one can only endure by being ready to once again place the Lord’s holy Word above the traditions created by men over time. This signifies a period in which God gathers and purifies the congregations who will partake in the Lord’s wedding feast, making them a unified bridal congregation pleasing to the Lord. Although the Lord will ultimately set everything in order upon His return, it has been ordained that the first steps, especially the most crucial ones, must be taken before His return.

“You have wearied the Lord with your words;

Yet you say, ‘In what way have we wearied Him?’

In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil Is good

in the sight of the Lord, And He delights in them,’

Or, ‘Where is the God of justice?’

‘Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare

the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek,

Will suddenly come to His temple,

Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom

you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

‘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 launderer's soap.’”

Malachi 2:17-3:2 (NKJV)

My sister in faith received a message in prayer for this era: 'Humble yourselves to walk the path of the cross.' I can only agree with this plea and pray that the elders of various Christian congregations will be able to receive the Lord’s call and humble themselves to test it before the Lord. Regardless of your position, earthly education, or career path, the readiness to listen to the messages of God’s messengers should be placed above all the constructs of human wisdom. And, according to the guidance of the Word, everything must be tested by the Spirit against the Word. Through imperfect people, the changes of the times were revealed regarding the Lord’s first coming, and through equally imperfect vessels, God’s exhortations are once again declared to the world.

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Scriptures taken from the New King James Version:

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