The Omega Times April 2007- Roll Back the Stone

The Omega Times

Roll Back the Stone

April 2007

In This Issue

A Stony Heart - The Image of Satan in the Church

Living Waters

Resurrection Life

Ministry Quicklinks

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Bible Study Messages

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Statement of Faith

Light of the Word

The Jesus Cult

The Omega Times

Roll Back the Stone

"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." Ezekiel 36:25-28

A Stony Heart - The Image of Satan in the Church

As Scripture indicates, these are perilous times indeed. While our society continues to spiral even further into degradation and mayhem, there is a growing thunder of quiet from the realm of what is seen as the churchworld. Perhaps more devastating than any of the individual tragedies occurring around the world is the inability to see the true church of Jesus Christ as a light to comfort the lost and a force to confront the devil. The stage is not yet even. This is the hour of darkness, but it is not for naught. True light is most poignant and piercing in utter darkness, and this is where the world is headed: into utter darkness. Yet as we get closer to the culmination of these times, we draw closer to the manifestation of the sons of God; perfect darkness will give way to perfect light as the bride makes herself ready.

The futility and absurdity of worldly church doctrine is revealed when the hard realities of life begin to hit. How are you healed by praying for a new car when your friend has been gunned down in cold blood? What solace is there in believing for that hundredfold return on your tithe when your child has been kidnapped and molested? Ministries that keep people earth-bound and soulish will find it increasingly difficult to provide direction during these times, and that is when people will begin to seek the truth. What is needed is a real answer, with real power; what is needed is Jesus. However, most in the churchworld are not equipped to carry Jesus to the masses because they have not been transformed into His image. There is no heart after God, but instead a stony heart that resists Him. Just like stone, the heart is cold, indifferent to, and unmoved by the things of God.

What causes a stony heart? Refusal to submit to God's Word. In Zechariah Chapter 7, God gives us a description of this condition.

"And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu; when they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to pray before the LORD, and to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?" Zechariah 7:1-3

Let's get a clear understanding of the type of people we are reading about here. Referred to in Chapter 6 as people "of the captivity", these were descendants of those who had been led away captive into Babylon. Although they had chosen to stay in that land, they knew God and had been separating themselves in weepings and fastings to the Lord year after year. In this text, the people sent representatives to the temple in Jerusalem to inquire of God regarding their service before Him.

"Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying, Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?" Zechariah 7:4-6

In spite of their religious fervor, God is not pleased with these offerings and does not receive them. We are not speaking of one or two instances, but of activity spanning 70 years! It is amazing to consider that someone can be in dedication to the Lord for 70 years and never have truly served Him. These are the conditions under which many will hear that gut- wrenching declaration, "Depart from me you workers of iniquity." (Matthew 7:23) It is not about how much you pray, fast, give, or fellowship. God is not impressed by our "sacrifices"; He requires our obedience. We must be truly born again of the Spirit and led by the Spirit in your daily lives. If you are, then you will naturally partake in these activities; they are your meat and bread. But simply doing the acts does not generate the life of God within.

In this passage, God gives us insight into the motives behind their actions. In all of their religious works, they were focused on exalting themselves. Even the things they claimed to do for God were really for self- promotion. This, my friends, is ugly. They want to be seen as holy and righteous in order to look like something before the people. They have a form of godliness, but their motives are self-serving.

"Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain? And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart." Zechariah 7:7-10

These people are in the land of captivity, but God brings to their remembrance the time when they inhabited the promises of God. He reminds them that His commands have not changed. Whether we are abound or abased, God's word stands sure; He is unchanging. One might think that being in captivity would cause them to turn even more earnestly to the Lord. Yet, this was not the case. There is a difference between being held captive and being captivated. Historically, when God's people have been under oppression, their affections start to turn towards the ways of their captors. This was the case with Egypt; it was the case with Babylon; and it is the case with much of the Christian world today. Trusting in religious activity gives the false security that one is right with God when such persons are really pursuing on his/her own agendas. As Scripture says, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." Matthew 15:8

"But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts: but I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate." Zechariah 7:11-14

These individuals refuse to heed Godly instruction, forcibly resist the presence of correction, and erect their own barriers so that they cannot even hear God's words. How is this manifested? Plainly put - selfishness; caring more about what you want or think than what God says. This is why the illustration of the stony heart is tied to the description of Leviathan. (Job 41:24)

How do we remove a stony heart? The stone must be rolled away.

"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh." Ezekiel 11:19

Once the stone is removed, we are laid bare before the Lord. Our heart becomes pliable to Him, allowing Him to impart into it His words of life. If the stone is not removed, the heart cannot produce fruit for Christ because the Word cannot establish root enough in us to germinate and grow. (Matthew 13:5-6)

Living Waters

"Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east. And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place. And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother." Genesis 29:1-10

In the Jesus Cult, we examined the symbolism in Jacob's journey to find his bride and how that correlates to the nameless servant who leads us back to the Father. This text also insight into our preparation for the end-times.

Coming to the end of his journey, Jacob arrives at a well where three flocks were gathered for watering. Seeing that it was still day, Jacob encouraged the shepherds to water the flocks and go back out to pasture, but they could not. Tradition had it that the flocks must all be gathered together before they could be watered. Yet, when Jacob sees Rachel coming, he rolls away the rock himself so that her sheep may be watered ahead of the rest.

We must work while it is day. This is no time to sit and wait for others to join in the battle. For those who are willing to go forward under the Lord's command, even if you must do so alone, God stands ready to equip you for the fight. Stop looking for others to go with you, but move forward in God to take your assigned position. Yes, it may be a great stone that stands in your way seeming to require the strength of many men to overcome, but as with Jacob, God will empower you for the task. You personally have a mission to fulfill, and this is not dependant upon anything else but your willingness to obey.

This passage with Jacob also gives a type of what is seen in John 4:10, where Jesus converses with the woman at the well. "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."

Here, Jesus sets forth 3 precedents for being given living water 1) Know the gift of God - His Holy Spirit; 2) Recognize Jesus and His authority; and 3) Ask God the Father. It is at the place where these conditions are met that God will pour out living waters so that we can care for His sheep. This is the next step in our journey. As we prepare to meet the Bridegroom, there will be a meeting at the well - and although others may be gathered - the stone will be rolled away to provide for those who have been prepared for His work.

Resurrection Life

"Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth." John 11:38-43

The way of the cross is truly a dying way. Yet, the time is fast approaching for resurrection life - the life of Christ - to be made manifest. When Christ arises, the stone is removed and resurrection life breaks forth. It is this life that is a witness to men, as we bear about in our bodies the glory of God.

Where is the voice of the Bride? Who truly desires to have a heart like God's? Let those who seek His face and love His name not look back, but prepare to be used in these end times. Break up fallow ground, redeem the times, and place your hand to the plough. Let the Spirit of God arise in the hearts of His people throughout the earth as He empowers us to bring in a mighty harvest.

"Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you." Hosea 10:12

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