Message 76: Important End-Time Questions and Clarifications:
— Mark Chen 8-7-2015
Dearest saints,
A dear sister-in-Christ has highlighted certain issues that may be causing confusion among the body of Christ, with regards to the end times and the coming fulfilment of Bible prophecy. I wish to use this opportunity to address these important issues which she has raised. Thank you, Pamela!
As always, please prayerfully discern what you read here, and take it to the Lord in prayer for His personal confirmation to you. Shalom!
Pamela Lasalle :
Mark, there is a camp that believes that at the start of the tribulation when the 1st seal is opened that the bride is transformed as the latter rain comes down...that she stays here and harvests the lukewarm and backslidden until the rapture. Is that what you believe because I don't' see how the Bride can be protected from the elements otherwise.
Mark Chen:
Dear Pamela, the Lord confirms to me that those who are counted worthy to be His Bride will be transfigured by the full infusion of His Holy Spirit (Baptism of latter rains) during the coming 3 Days of Darkness (Isaiah 60:1-3), before they are supernaturally translated and gathered to a place on earth already being prepared for the training and equipping of the Bride, before the Great Soul Harvest. In their transfigured state, the Bride of Christ will be supernaturally protected against harm, by the Holy Spirit's power, and they will be guided by God's holy angels.
At the end of this appointed worldwide evangelism and Great Harvest of souls (Matthew 24:14), the Barley Harvest will take place, and the Bride and her Wedding Guests will be taken up into Heaven in the first Rapture of the saints of Christ, when the Holy Spirit is withdrawn en masse from the earth (2 Thess 2:6-7). It is only at this time that the saints of Christ will be transformed into their new immortal bodies (1 Cor 15:51-55).
To be clear, the Lord tells me that we are already in the midst of tribulation upon the earth in the form of the birth pains which He prophesied to His disciples, as recorded for us in Matthew 24:6-13. These birth pains actually correspond to the opening of the first 5 Seals of Revelation 6, and I had previously explained that the the effects of these first 5 Seals are cumulative, ie. they don't happen all at once.
Since the time of the first blood moon in April 2014, we have seen the increasing effects of the horsemen of the apocalypse (Revelation 6:1-8). Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ had previously explained to me that the first blood moon in this current tetrad of blood moons marked the beginning of more intense end-time birth pains upon the earth.
For instance, we can see that the red horseman is already riding, as we note greater incidences of wars and rumours of war in the world today, eg. Russia-Crimea, ISIS in Middle East, Iran-Israel, the rise of Chinese military might and expansion in South China Sea etc. True peace is increasingly being taken away, in order to make way for a false peace that is rising up under the shadow of the New World Order (NWO). The result of this false peace that will soon be offered to the world by the Luciferian servants of darkness, is that while people are saying, "Peace and safety", destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thess 5:3)
The black horseman is also riding already, as we see many signs of economic crisis in various parts of the world, such as Venezuela, Greece, Puerto Rico, and even China. These will eventually lead to what financial experts have predicted to be a massive global economic crash, and we know that these are all engineered by the NWO, in order to implement a new economic order, based on the mark of the beast.
The pale horseman is clearly riding already as well, as we see the alarming rise of plagues, pestilences and famines all around the world. An estimated 10,000 people have died from the terrible Ebola viral outbreak since 2014, and many countries have struggled to deal with the outbreaks of MERS and newly mutated strains of contagious diseases, along with the return of infectious diseases once thought to have been successfully subdued by medical advancement, eg. tuberculosis, plague, measles etc.
The 5th Seal has also been broken, as we see the horrific deaths of many Christians at the hands of Islamic terrorists such as ISIS. Ever since the blood moon tetrad began last year, we have noted a dramatic rise in the rate of attacks and persecution against Christians globally, such that many of them have died for their faithful testimony and witness for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May their souls rest in peace under God's altar in Heaven, as they await His mighty vengeance upon their wicked oppressors.
Hence, we can see that we now await the Lord's opening of the 6th Seal, which will usher in the great and terrible Day of the LORD (Isaiah 13:9-11, Joel 2:30-31, Revelation 6:12-17). In the Lord's Rhema Word concerning the Rapture of the young ones below the age of accountability, He is telling us that the little children will be taken to safety in Heaven BEFORE the Day of the LORD commences with the massive global earthquake, and the 3 Days of Darkness.
Finally, I wish to address the mistaken notion held by some end-time watchers and Christians that the Bride of Christ will also harvest the lukewarm and backslidden believers for the Barley Harvest, as the Holy Scriptures reveal to us clearly enough that these believers will be left behind to enter the 7-year Great Tribulation. We only need to read biblical evidence of this simple truth in passages such as the Parable of the 10 Virgins (Matt 25:1-13), Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matt 22:1-14) and the Parable of the Great Feast (Luke 14:15-24).
In each parable that the Lord used in His first ministry here on earth, He taught the people a prophetic truth: Those whom God had originally invited to attend the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in Heaven, but who have rejected His gracious invitation by their procrastination and all manner of excuses, these will not be at the Wedding Feast of all ages.
The people whom God had called and invited to the Wedding Feast from the beginning, refers not only to the Jews, but also to the lukewarm and backslidden Christians. Through their spiritual apathy and slumber, they will not have sufficient oil in their lamps to go with the Bridegroom to the Wedding Feast, when He comes for His devoted Bride at the proverbial midnight hour. That is why they will be left out of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, which the Bride and Wedding Guests will attend when they are rescued in the coming Barley Harvest, while the lukewarm and backslidden Christians will be left behind, along with the unbelievers.
Indeed, Jesus declared in Luke 14:24 "I tell you, not one of those who were invited (and rejected the invitation) will get a taste of My banquet." Why is this so? It is because 'many are invited, but few are chosen' (Matt 22:14).
[Parenthetical elaboration of Luke 14:24 is mine.]
Another clear indication that the continually lukewarm and backslidden believers shall be left behind after the Rapture of Christ's Bride is seen in the Lord's epistles to the 7 churches in Revelation 1-3, which were both historical churches, as well as metaphors for the various types of believers in the body of Christ today, according to their respective spiritual condition. Out of the 7 churches addressed by Jesus Christ, only one- the Church of Philadelphia, was told that it would escape the 'HOUR OF TRIAL' that is coming upon the whole world TO TEST THOSE WHO LIVE ON THE EARTH (Revelation 3:10).
By the grace of God, I had previously explained that the HOUR OF TRIAL (or the HOUR OF TEMPTATION) correspond to the first 3.5 years of the Great Tribulation, when those believers who failed to 'graduate' from God's 'School of Sanctification' to qualify for the Barley Harvest, shall be given another chance to retake their 'examination of sanctification' by going through the first half of the 7-year Great Tribulation, so that they may finally be willing to 'die to self and live to Christ'. The simple truth is that they can only graduate and be redeemed in the Wheat Harvest (at the midpoint of the Great Tribulation- Rev 14:14-16), if they consistently apply the requirement of Galatians 2:20 in their lives:
'I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.'
As I had explained before, they will be left behind because they are currently unwilling to embrace the teaching of self-denial and Christ-centred living in Galatians 2:20. Only those who have died to their flesh in Christ Jesus can qualify for the Barley Harvest as the 'dead in Christ' saints, just as those of us presently, who have willingly died to self and live to Christ, shall be rescued in the coming Barley Harvest.
To be sure, not all of the lukewarm and backslidden Christians who get left behind will have another chance to pass this spiritual exam of sanctification, because many will perish under the hand of God's end-time judgments BEFORE they choose to repent and turn back to Christ. Those left-behind believers who enter the Great Tribulation alive after the Barley Harvest occurs, will find the re-examination conditions to be much tougher in the HOUR OF TRIAL, because that will be during the time of the powerful delusion by Satan's servants (2 Thess 2:7-12).
Yet, by the grace of God that is sufficient for His saints (2 Cor 12:9), they can make it as long as they abide in Christ Jesus (John 15:1-6). Many of them will have to die as martyrs for the Lord, while a number will survive and be preserved by the power of God, until the Wheat Harvest happens. Who will be appointed to martyrdom and who will be appointed to survive until the Wheat Harvest depends on the sovereign Will of God.
I pray that this lengthy explanation can help to clarify the issues you have highlighted, dear sister. May God bless you with His truth, peace and grace always.
NOTE:
It may be easy for unbelievers to assume (based on this message) that it is better for them to wait until the time of the Great Soul Harvest to believe in Jesus Christ, but it is actually dangerous to do so, because the biblical truth is that NOBODY KNOWS WHEN GOD WILL REQUIRE THEIR LIFE FROM THEM. Those who think that it is fine to wait until the Great Soul Harvest to believe in Jesus may be sorely mistaken, because God may withdraw the breath of life from them any time BEFORE the Great Soul Harvest happens.
Indeed, many will die during the 3 Days of Great Darkness, because the alien-demons will invade the earth at the time of great darkness, to kill, capture and destroy. Those who are without the covering of Christ's Blood at that time (eg. unbelievers) shall be very vulnerable to demonic attacks then. We all know what happens when a person dies without saving faith in Christ Jesus- eternal punishment (John 3:36, 1 John 5:11-12). That is not something anyone should desire for himself or herself, and that is why the Holy Scriptures declare:
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (NKJV)
We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Luke 12:16-21 (NKJV)
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Shalom!
Mark Chen
Q and A:
— Paul Ng: Brother Mark I have these questions : 1. If His Bride not participate in the Great Soul Harvest (Barley Harvest) , what and why they need to be equipped and trained ? 2. Who will be the Wedding Quests ?
Mark Chen Dear brother Paul, the Bride of Christ will be participating in the Great Soul Harvest, which commences immediately after the 3 Days of Darkness. It is for this reason that the members of Christ's Bride must be trained and equipped for the Great Soul Harvest, which will end with the Barley Harvest. And it is because of the Great Soul Harvest, that Christ's Bride will remain on earth to work in the worldwide harvest fields for an appointed time.
The Wedding Guests are the non-believers whom the members of Christ's Bride will evangelise in the Great Soul Harvest, before the end of this age comes (Matt 24:14). The guests are indicated in both the Parable of the Wedding Banquet and the Parable of the Great Feast. These are people who will come to faith in Christ Jesus for the first time during the Great Soul Harvest, and they will come from all walks of life all around the world. That is why that period is referred to as the 'Great' Soul Harvest. At the end of that period, the Bride and the Wedding Guests will be taken up to heaven in the Barley Harvest. GOD is going to ensure that the Wedding Hall in Heaven will be fully packed with Wedding Guests at the Wedding Banquet for His Son, the Lamb of God and His beloved Bride. After all, God wouldn't want the Wedding of all ages to be conducted in a half-filled Wedding Hall, that is for sure!
Shalom.
Luke 14:16-24 (NKJV)
Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”
— Paul Ng Quote from your message - "Finally, I wish to address the mistaken notion held by some end-time watchers and Christians that the Bride of Christ will also harvest the lukewarm and backslidden believers for the Barley Harvest,..." . Am I correct to say The Bride only help in those non-believers and not the lukewarm / backslidden believers during the Great Soul Harvest ? Therefore, without help of The Bride, those lukewarm / backslidden will have to go through Great Tribulations even they did confess and repent during the Great Soul Harvest period ? Or did I miss or misunderstand something ?
Mark Chen: Yes, dear brother, your understanding is correct. This is God's Will, not ours. This is where many Christians stumble in their understanding, because many believers cannot believe or accept that God will leave the lukewarm and backslidden believers behind, after the cut-off time for their qualification to join the Barley Harvest occurs some time BEFORE the 3 Days of Darkness commences. When is this cut-off time for repentance and rededication of the lukewarm and backslidden Christians in order to qualify for the Barley Harvest? Only the Father knows. The biblical truth of this specific cut-off time is revealed to us in the Parable of the Ten Virgins, because when the cut off happens, the foolish virgins will not have enough time to gather sufficient oil in their lamps to make it for the Barley Harvest. frown emoticon
That is why we must do our best to pass this present examination, so that we don't need to be retained to retake the examination of sanctification, set down by God (John 15:1-6).
Shalom!
— Paul Ng Oh... So what you mean is even after the 3 days of darkness and before the Barley Harvest, even the lukewarm / backslidden do confess and repent their sins still cannot get into the Rapture (Barley Harvest) ?
— Paul Ng: Brother Mark, your confirmation really make my heart sink. It is rather sad to know it. I have to pray over it first.
— Paul Ng: Actually, I have one more question but I seems don't want to face the answer. Let me think about it first.
Mark Chen: Yes, that is so according to the Holy Scriptures, because the cut-off time to pass the examination by God for the existing Christians would have been passed by the time of the great darkness. That is the exam to see if believers qualify to be counted worthy among the holy Bride of Christ, according to the degree that they have fulfilled Galatians 2:20.
Once the time of examination ends BEFORE the great darkness commences (according to God's determination), the believers who have failed the exam will not be counted among Christ's holy Bride, because they fail God's examination of their hearts and minds with regards to their walk in the righteousness and holiness of Christ Jesus.
To take the re-examination, the lukewarm and backslidden Christians shall have to pass through the fires of great tribulation in the first half of Daniel's 70th Week- the HOUR OF TRIAL (Rev 3:10) that will come upon all who remain on the face of the earth, AFTER the Barley Harvest.
God has a separate end-time plan for the non-believers, as I have explained, because they may have a chance to be rescued in the Barley Harvest, along with the Bride of Christ. Why do I say 'a chance' and not 'a guarantee'? It is because they will need to endure the chaos and calamities that will ensue during the Great Soul Harvest, and like the Bride, they must pass God's examination of their hearts and minds to see if they will qualify for the Barley Harvest at the end of that calamitous period of time (Matt 24:21-22).
We understand from the Holy Scriptures that our salvation in Christ is a journey, and so every believer (both new and long-time saints) need to complete their respective race of faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 4:7-8), by the grace of God in Christ Jesus. They must persevere until the end of the Great Soul Harvest period, and qualify for the Barley Harvest by meeting the Galatians 2:20 criterion as well.
Does this clarify your understanding, dear brother?
Mark Chen: My dear brother, I know that you are concerned about your loved ones who may be left behind. The Lord has told me that a number of my loved ones will be left behind as well, because they are not willing to embrace Galatians 2:20 at this moment. I have wept for them, but I know in my spirit that God will use the fires of the Great Tribulation to turn them fully to Him, so that they will complete His requirement of sanctification for the completion of their salvation in Christ Jesus.
The sad truth is that it is better for our lukewarm and backslidden family members to be saved from their worldly ways by going through the fires of great tribulation, than for them to perish for all eternity because they loved their carnal desires too much to embrace the refining fire of God.
— Paul Ng: In deed, but now I face this difficulty. The difficulty is I have already shared all these end time messages (except this one) on my Facebook blog. For those non-believer who start to believe now is the end time. They may think the best time to believe in GOD is between the 3DOD and the Barley Harvest but not before because of this message. Is it ?
Mark Chen: It may be easy for unbelievers to think that way, but it is actually dangerous to do so, because the biblical truth is that NOBODY KNOWS WHEN GOD WILL REQUIRE THEIR LIFE FROM THEM. Those who think that it is fine to wait until the Great Soul Harvest to believe in Jesus may be sorely mistaken, because God may withdraw the breath of life from them any time BEFORE the Great Soul Harvest happens.
Indeed, many will die during the 3 Days of Great Darkness, because the alien-demons will invade the earth at the time of great darkness, to kill, capture and destroy. Those who are without the covering of Christ's Blood at that time (eg. unbelievers) shall be very vulnerable to demonic attacks then. We all know what happens when a person dies without saving faith in Christ Jesus- eternal punishment. That is not something anyone should desire for himself or herself.
Luke 12:16-21 (NKJV)
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Paul Ng Finally, we have reached this point, Thanks to our Father in Heaven and brother Mark for this message related to the end time. Amen.
Mark Chen: Amen, brother. I have amended the message to include a note at the end for unbelievers. Please take a look, so that you can be more at ease to share this teaching message.
Shalom!
— Nellie Oprea: Mark Chen is it too late for the lukewarm & backslidden to qualify for the Barley Harvest by meeting the Galatians 2:20 criterion now ?...What's the length of time for the preparation ? When is too late ?
Mark Chen: Dear Nellie, only the Father knows. Personally, I believe that there may still be a little time left, but that time is soon running out for the lukewarm and backslidden believers to embrace Galatians 2:20 fully.
Shalom!