Beloved Family… Do you remember the story of ‘The Swiss Family Robinson?’ By an unexpected turn of events, as this family was aboard a ship en route to Australia, they encountered a weather-related misfortune and ended up marooned on a remote volcanic island. Their ship had been abandoned by its panic-stricken crew, but thankfully, it was stocked with food, guns, ammunition and tools.
So when the ship drifted close to a solitary island, the father and his sons anchored the ship, constructed a makeshift boat from materials they found aboard, and used their improvised craft to transport the family, and the precious supplies to the beach of that island. And after devising a makeshift shelter, they began to settle in. Thus began the saga of that family’s fight for survival.
Perhaps it was the Lord who recently caused that story to slip into my mind, since I’m in the process of writing material for Last Days disciples. I have no other explanation; I never read that book. And I only saw the movie once during my early youth, so I barely remember any details! So why, after all this time, would that name ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ suddenly pop into my head… unless it was the Lord, trying to tell me something?
As those who know me are aware… for the greater part of the last twenty years, the Lord has consistently drawn my attention to the era of the Last Days, and what will be taking place at that time. So, if it actually is the Lord who put the thought of ‘The Robinsons’ into my mind, it makes sense, because as I’m writing this, it’s September 10th… the eve of the 20th. anniversary of 9/11!
I remember where I was when I first heard that news on my car radio. I was driving East on I-80 to Des Moines to attend a Christ-Life Ministry staff meeting that had been scheduled. And I remember the stunned sensation I felt as I listened to various reporters that were on the scene, describing as best they could, what they thought had happened and what was taking place in and around that smoking first tower. And, after I got to my destination, and began to watch what was happening on TV, when suddenly, horror of horrors, another plane hit the second tower! And at that moment, I sensed in the depths of my being, that the world would never be the same again!
My heart told me that something MASSIVE had just taken place down in the lowest depths of our planet’s inner ‘gearbox mechanism.’ And it suddenly yanked this world out from its former, long-standing ‘cruise control setting’ onto a much higher, previously unused, gear ratio. So as that event unfolded throughout that day, I sensed that the world’s rate of speed had increased significantly; and I knew that from that day on, our pace would be faster and more chaotic. My heart also told me:
“From now on, where we have been, will no longer be seen…
and where we’re going now, is something only God can know.”
Soon after that excruciating day, I began to receive those ‘downloads’ of things to come, that I’ve been referring to in my Last Days material. And the frequency with which they started coming forced me to become eerily aware of things that had seldom crossed my mind before. Suddenly I was becoming, ‘future-oriented.’ By that I mean that while the minds and hearts of my friends and neighbors seemed to remain riveted on obvious present-day realities, my mind and heart kept moving forward to the way it’s going to be in the yet unknown future. The world around me seemed to be locked onto the normal, ‘business as usual’ wavelength of the present moment, but I was locked into a completely different ‘wavelength’… that mysterious frequency of… ‘the way it will be for the Last Days disciples!’
I began to lose interest in what was directly before me and around me. It became harder and harder to concentrate on that because my mind kept wandering off into the dimly lit realm of ‘the end of this age.’ I didn’t know why this was happening… but it was. And, at times, I felt as if I was going crazy, as if I had bailed out from the plane of Reality in the middle of the night… and was now plummeting toward the unknown topography of a mysterious world I knew nothing about! To say the least, it was a lonely, isolated feeling. But, over the last twenty years, it has become my, ‘new normal.’
But recently, since my wife Mary passed away, the Lord has, (in a sense that is hard to express) presented me with a little bit of reassuring ‘comfort’… a ‘backdoor’… ‘misery loves company’… kind of comfort… that I might express like this:
“Aha! What I once suspected to be craziness, is actually turning out to be Reality! In earlier days, I seemed to be the only one who thought the way I do. But now… there are others that can see it too! And they too are starting to believe what I have come to believe. Current events have begun to lend credibility to my personal suspicions. So I’m no longer alone. And… If I am crazy… well,… at least an increasing number of the world’s population has begun to go crazy with me!”
Beloved friends, I have been convinced for some time, that the disciples that the Lord will be choosing out of the final generations, are going to need very specialized training in order to fulfill their commissions and do their jobs with precision and fidelity! And I’m also convinced that their training will resemble and actually fulfill the preparation that the Holy Spirit gave to the First Century disciples of our risen Lord! The way He began to operate in them by the Holy Spirit, after His Ascension, is exactly the way it will have to be at the end… only more so! And I believe this is why the Lord created our Follow Me Ministry, and why He has protected it and enabled us to explore and discuss these matters, and share the results, for the last ten years.
And, while I was grieving the passing of my wife in the fall of 2019, something very unexpected began to happen. Suddenly some of those very unique, chosen, Last Days ‘Temple of the Holy Spirit’ kind of disciples that I had begun to envision twenty years ago… actually began to show up in present day Reality!
Yes, I have recently begun to see what seems to be the ‘first fruits’ of my previous premonitions, start to come into being! Some of those ‘bullet head’ disciples I could envision twenty years ago, are now actually beginning to appear! Little by little, here and there, one or another from among them steps forward! And, in unmistakable ways, they identify themselves as being one of ‘THEM!’
Halleluyah!!!
These unique ones give unmistakable signs, to my way of thinking, that they are among that select ‘special forces team’ that the Lord has chosen to serve Him during the Great Climax of human history. They are much younger than I… and I’m sure He will continue to keep choosing even younger ones in the days to come. And He will commission them to perform the essential Last Days duties that will usher Him into Earth’s Ultimate Reality Showdown with the powers of Darkness!
So, since 2001 when I felt that massive 9/11 ‘Gearshift’ take place in the bowels of the Earth, I’ve suspected that that event was one of the first of the ‘signs’ that the Lord warned us about, when He was explaining what it would be like just before it was time for Him to make His Triumphant Glorious Return to Earth!
“Yeshua answered them, “Be careful that no one leads you astray! For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will lead many astray. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must happen but it is not yet the end. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are only the beginning of birth pains.” (Matthew 24:4-8 TLV, Emphasis added)
The birth pangs are coming with much more frequency and intensity, are they not? And so it seems pretty clear that we’re getting closer to the climactic events of the Era of Total Exposure, Deception, Apostasy, Judgment, Final Showdown, Recovery and Eternal Restoration! Our Heavenly Father has been arranging for the Return to Earth of His beloved Son… the King of Glory, the Lion of Judah, and the Supreme Lord of the Universe, for a long time! And soon, our Lord will come into our midst to reclaim every speck of what has always belonged to Him! And this is why the Holy Spirit must be earnestly preparing us for that awesome and ever-nearing Event. And that is why we see the action REALLY beginning to heat up all around us!
Those specially prepared disciples will serve as the Lord’s ‘Advance Guard,’ deployed to proclaim and usher in His Triumph over Evil. So now, we must all seriously enter into the process of being trained, equipped, and prepared to participate in the ‘fireworks’ that will culminate in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb… as He, at long last, will finally be free to become eternally One… with His beloved Bride.
“A voice cries out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of Adonai, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low, the rough ground will be a plain and the rugged terrain smooth. The glory of Adonai will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together.” For the mouth of Adonai has spoken.
“A voice is saying, “Cry out!” So I said, “What shall I cry out?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades. For the breath of Adonai blows on it. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades. But the Word of our God stands forever!”
“Get yourself up on a high mountain, you who bring good news to Zion! Lift up your voice with strength, you who bring good news to Jerusalem! Lift it up! Do not fear! Say to the cities of Judah:
“Behold your God!” Look, Adonai Elohim comes with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. Like a Shepherd, He tends His flock. He gathers the lambs in His arms carries them in his bosom, and gently guides nursing ewes.
“Who has measured the waters in the palm of His hand, or measured out heaven with a span, or calculated the dust of the earth in a measure, or weighed the mountains in scales, or the hills in a balance?
“Who can fathom the Ruach Adonai (Spirit of God)? Or instruct Him as His counselor? With whom did He consult, and who instructed Him? Who taught Him in the path of justice or taught Him knowledge? Who informed Him about the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and count as a speck of dust on the scales!” (Isaiah 40:3-15 TLV, Amplification and emphasis added)
So… as I finish writing this on the day before the anniversary of that momentous 9/11 ‘Gearshift,’ it now appears that the Holy Spirit has been very busy and hard at work behind the scenes… preparing the Bride for the Wedding Feast that can now be seen off in the distance! That Final, Ultimate Wedding Feast… will mark the end of the wilderness sojourn that the Bride has had to endure and complete… in order to be fully prepared to enter into her eternal union with her Beloved…
This will be the awesome Climax for which those beloved, carefully chosen, Last Days disciples have been called to prepare. And this is why it is so important that their personal preparation and training be absolutely meticulous, demanding, precise, and authentic! Now the Spirit will leave no room for error or miscalculation. Now, everything must and will be done to absolute Perfection!
And this is why Almighty God Himself has to take complete charge of each one of us, INSIDE AND OUT! Only God can do all of the Necessary Work! Only He can meet His Perfect Standards! And, since He has already done everything necessary to supply what will be needed… all that remains is for Him to apply what we will need, to us, with our cooperation!
All That We Will Ever Need Is Found In God Himself
Now, we must learn to trust, and rest in, and work as one with God, so that He can apply the Fruits of what He has already done and provided, to us… and reveal them… through us! Only He knows what lies ahead! Only He knows what each one of us needs, and when and how it must be applied. Only He has the Authority, Omnipotent Power, Wisdom, and Skill needed to transform us, who, in ourselves, are bankrupt, helpless ‘Dust’ piles. But by His Power and Grace, we will transform into the Perfect image and likeness of Almighty God!
And so, God has sent His Spirit… to fill us and to fuel, animate, empower, and launch us to participate in that Final Wave of His Heavenly Hosts that will bring human history to its ultimate finish. He will see to our final preparations. He will prepare us to serve as His Last Days Invasion Force. And, in the fullness of time, God’s own Son, His beloved Living Word made flesh, will lead us against the deeply entrenched, but already defeated, powers of Darkness. And He will reclaim all that belongs to Him, and share it all with all those among us who are completely His.
And now that I’ve given you the background, let me bring out the rest that remains for me to share with you. Let’s get back to the Swiss Family Robinson. What pertains to that story that relates to what concerns us today? Well, consider this: the sole issue for that family (after the rug was pulled out from under them, and their journey diverted to such an unexpected outcome), was… SURVIVAL!
When the rug of ‘life as you’ve always known it’ is suddenly yanked out from under your feet, another way of thinking about it is, ‘My ‘life’, as I’ve known it, has just died!’ And, of course, that brings up this question, “So, NOW what should I do?” This is what, whether they liked it or not, each member of the Robinson family had to face, accept, and deal with. And, beloved, that’s exactly how it will be for the Lord’s beloved Last Days disciples! And that’s how it was for their forbearers, the First Century post-Ascension disciples! That’s what happened to them after their Master suddenly ascended back into Heaven and left them standing there gaping at the heavens! From that point, their relationship with the risen Lord placed them between ‘A Rock and a Hard Place!’ Their Master was gone… and they were stranded in a very hostile environment… helpless and clueless!
“Amen, amen I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it forever. If any man serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I AM, there also will My servant be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:24-26 TLV, Emphasis added)
For the Lord’s disciples of the post-Ascension era, the ‘Rock’ represented unbelieving Judaism… their own fellow chosen people! And the ‘Hard Place’ represented the rest of the Sin-loving pagan Roman Empire world that was in power at that time. Neither of those two groups wanted anything to do with the other! Nor did either of them have any use for these very strange disciples that were suddenly caught in the middle!
So the disciples were forced to huddle together and depend on their invisible God, and watch each other’s backs, in order to survive! And this is how the Holy Spirit began to teach them about ‘Body of Messiah Life.’ Because each one of them was now one with their risen Lord, although they couldn’t see or touch Him. He was now their common Head. He was like their ‘Vine’ and they were like His individual ‘branches.’ They had to realize their unique and perpetual need to stick together, in all things, and at all times. They had to learn to remain united to their Lord, and to each other. God had regenerated their spirits and had made them into ONE NEW MAN IN MESSIAH! But now they had to train their outdated brains and minds to catch up so that their outdated mental and emotional faculties could learn to catch up and start to do the same!
“Now the whole group of those who believed was one in heart and mind. No one would say anything he owned was his own, but they had everything in common. With great Power the emissaries were giving witness to the Resurrection of the Lord Yeshua, and abundant favor was upon them all. No one among them was needy, for all who were owners of lands or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds and set them at the feet of the emissaries. And the proceeds were distributed according to the need each one had.” (Acts 4:32-35 TLV, Emphasis added)
“Meanwhile, through the hands of the emissaries many signs and wonders were happening among the people. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. But no one else dared to join them, though the people continued to think highly of them.
“Yet more than ever those trusting in the Lord were added—large numbers of men and women. They even carried the sick into the streets and laid them on stretchers and cots, so that when Peter passed by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. Crowds were also gathering from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were sick or tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all being healed!” (Acts 5:12-16 TLV, Emphasis added)
It’s obvious that those disciples, who had so recently run like terrified rabbits from the wrath of Israel’s religious establishment and the Roman soldiers after their Master was arrested, tortured and executed, were powerless to do anything significant in their own strength! But notice what happened after they received ‘Power from on high’ in Acts chapter 2! Notice how bold, gutsy and authoritative they suddenly became!
Consider this: Isn’t Scripture telling us that Almighty God Himself was ‘doing His Heavenly Work’ in, and through, the yielded flesh of those First Century disciples? When you consider that sudden violent Reality-shift that took place in their day, you’ll realize that their minds and hearts had a lot of ‘catching up’ to do! At first, none of their brains were wired to be able to handle this sudden turn of events! (See for example Acts 8 and 10.) Nor were their mental ‘onboard computers’ preprogrammed to be compatible with what it would be like to live day and night with a Messiah who would be invisible to them from now on!
But nevertheless, they were suddenly equipped with some awesome supernatural faculties and abilities. So, because life as they had known it was now dead and buried, they had no choice but to ‘rewire,’ ‘reprogram’ and reconfigure themselves, and stick together for dear life… as they ventured forward into the ‘Great Unknown.’ They HAD to learn to look out for each other… so that each one could live as safely and securely as possible. And conversely, they had to be undying in their loyalty to their Head, the risen Lord, so they could transform into His earthly Body. The Lord’s Body had to be able to function properly and allow the Word and Spirit of God to become visible to the unbelieving world and thereby fulfill His Heavenly Father’s written promises!
The Swiss Family Robinson was thrown into a similar do or die type of situation! So I think that’s why the Holy Spirit dropped the idea of them into my head. And… if that was from the Lord, what do you suppose He wants to tell us in the context of our current FMM boot camp training regimen? Could He be telling us that it’s time for those of us who truly are His disciples… to start learning how to regard ourselves, and one another, in brand new ‘we are forever one’ ways that we’ve not ever really taken seriously in the past?
Have you ever looked at our fellow believers, or fellow churchgoers (most of whom we currently don’t know from Adam) as being vitally essential key links to our personal future survival? And, if that’s the case, do you realize that we’re going to need each other at a very primeval level, in light of the way things in this world are quickly turning out to be? How much longer can we afford to maintain the habit of remaining emotionally distant, living as virtual strangers from our fellow believers?
Has it ever occurred to us that the level of care and concern we take in looking out for the wellbeing of those who follow the Lord with us, will have a direct connection to how well our future wellbeing is going to turn out? Do we see that the outcomes of so many currently separated strangers, must somehow be transformed into one united, fully integrated combat unit? We’re not talking about a mob of assorted individualists, we’re talking about a totally integrated and synchronized FAMILY – A TEAM that knows how to live, work and, yes, fight against and overcome demonic powers of Darkness… as one well-oiled, totally coordinated combat unit!
Examine yourself: Do I regard my ‘fellow believers’ or ‘church family’ as ‘an essential key to my future existence and level of wellbeing?’ And, if you have never thought of them as being linked to you and yours to such an intimately personal degree, then I suggest that you take another penetrating look around you. Notice the waves of political and social enmity, hostility, and aggressive opposition that are advancing further and further, eating up more and more of the beaches that surround our personal little ‘private empire.’ The dark powers are closing in on us rapidly, beloved! There is a flood coming! And notice how accustomed we’ve become to being isolated, self-absorbed, and locked into that worldly, ‘every man for himself’ mindset that most of us still insist on protecting and ‘adoring!’
And ask yourself… “Am I, and my loved ones, actually ready to repent of our lone wolf ways… and begin to adjust to the massive Reality-Shift that is even now, engulfing us all? What is our current ‘skill set level’ when it comes to participating in a cooperative, family type of lifestyle? Are we still nothing but self-absorbed lone rangers? Or are we a ‘my brother’s keeper’ type of people, in spirit and in truth? And so, what did our Commander-in-Chief order us to do in relation to each other?”
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love! If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full.
Beloved, do we really nurture, treasure, and garden the relationships we have with the people God has knitted into our lives? Or, instead of giving those relational plants we’re in charge of what they need to grow and thrive, are we actually pouring the toxic chemicals of habitual neglect, selfishness, and mindless lack of concern all over them?
And consider this: if we were all suddenly engulfed by a geological or weather-related disaster, how many of those other people would immediately feel great concern about us and aggressively inquire after our wellbeing? And how many of them wouldn’t even give us a second thought, based on the extremely shallow level of relationship ties they have had with us until now? And, in that case… in terms of being able to survive… where would we be then?
Reliance On the Holy Spirit – Our Only Hope
Isn’t it true that our human sense of loving regard and concern for others grows in proportion to the level of gratitude that we feel for how much they have loved and cared for us? Yes, it is true! Human nature is, by nature, selfish, self-centered, rebellious, manipulative, predatory, and self-destructive! So, we’ll naturally tend to love ourselves and try to get others to do the same. But that doesn’t’ work because the others are just as intent on doing the same thing for themselves! So this is why God requires us to turn to Him! Only His Holy Spirit is able to equip and empower us to see, think, live, act, react and interact with our Messiah’s Resurrection Life and Nature. He must be able to abide and operate from within us… so that, for His sake, we can truly share His Life-giving Presence among us, and He can perpetually bless and care for us as He works for the mutual good of us all, through the yielded, crucified flesh of each individual!
So… are we currently equipped to operate at Spirit-empowered levels that are truly supernatural… or… are we stuck in our original, natural, inherited, selfish Adamic Sin-nature ‘ME first’ level of existence?
The question for this critical time of history, is: “How humble and teachable am I? How much do I invest in the things that are eternal? How much do I invest in what will never rust, or be stolen, or end up dying? How much am I willing to invest in the precious lives and very real concerns of the awesome people God has placed all around me… especially those who are supposed to be part of my personal combat unit in the service of My Lord?”
Are we not wearing the same uniform of service? Are we not under the Authority of the same Lord? Are we not assigned to the same Invasion Force that will establish Him as King of kings and Lord of lords? Are we not called to share together… the same awesome Messiah-centered Inheritance and Destiny? So… what about those fellow believers who happen to be assigned to our particular individual combat units? How do we view and treat them in our frequent interactions? Do we recognize our mutual irreplaceable value? Do we look out for each of the others, with the same care that we would desire others to look out for us? The God-less world around us certainly isn’t going to care about us. So… do we realize that our survival will depend on the continued wellbeing of each one of our brethren… and vice versa?
So, yes, we are here to fight for our beloved Lord… but how will we accomplish such a grandiose goal… if we always fail to realize that in order to be loyal to Him, we must always be fighting on behalf of the individual members upon which He is depending? Or, to put it in other words, how much good are we really going to do for the Lord, who is our Head… if we habitually ignore, abandon, neglect, belittle and do harm to the members of the Body through which He intends to reveal Himself and fulfill His Father’s promises? Is not each member essential to the comfort, wellbeing and success of all the others?
“Now when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You? Or thirsty and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger and invite You in? Or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
“And answering, the King will say to them, ‘Amen, I tell you, whatever you did to one of the least of these My brethren, YOU DID IT TO ME!’” (Matthew 25:31-40 TLV, Emphasis added)
People who share extremely trying experiences like the Robinsons… and the first century disciples of the risen Lord… must develop advanced skill set levels that contribute to their personal wellbeing and that of the group. What each member learns for himself, will also benefit the wellbeing of the other family members. Each individual sorely needs each of the others. And the entire group sorely needs each individual. So, in Musketeer terms, it always has to be –
“All for one… and One for all!”
And that, beloved brethren… has to be the mindset, attitude, and personal skillset level of each and every one of those devil-terrifying, Evil-neutralizing, Last Days disciples of the risen Lord!
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love! If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: that he lay down his life for HIS FRIENDS. YOU ARE MY FRIENDS IF… you do what I command you.
“I am no longer calling you servants, for the servant does not know what his Master is doing. Now I have called you (My Blood Covenant) friends, because everything I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:9-15 TLV, Emphasis added)
“Therefore, my loved ones, just as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence—work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For the One working in you is God—both to will and to work for His good pleasure!” (Philippians 2:12-13 TLV, Emphasis added)
Image Credit: Karl Döringer via Wikimedia Commons
