What the continued absence of the sign means is that the gathering to the Lord has not yet come to pass, because the season of harvesting follows after the lawless one has been revealed. See The Sign for the Bride for details.
What I have seen in this late hour has been expected, because the Lord prepared me, and Aaron with me. It has now become noticeably harder for people to discern the truth as the light of this age has faded into twilight. Surely there is a famine in the land of hearing the word of truth. Many saints are now being exposed as having built their foundations upon sand, and their faith is failing. In contrast, a few are being strengthened. This widening polarity is the result of judgment. What judgment looks like is that folks get what they deserve, good for good and bad for bad, and this on a deeper level than what manifests in carnal superficiality.
Let's give our attention to the word addressed to the Hebrews, for their strengthening.
2:1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, 3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
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3:5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if you hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me,
And saw My works for forty years.
10 “Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
11 As I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”
The Peril of Unbelief
12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, 15 while it is said,
“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.”
16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. ~ Hebrews 2:1-4, 3:5-19
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3:5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if you hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me,
And saw My works for forty years.
10 “Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
11 As I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’”
The Peril of Unbelief
12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, 15 while it is said,
“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.”
16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. ~ Hebrews 2:1-4, 3:5-19
The Lord is being very generous with some of us who are now receiving such remarkable favor, while being very tightly constrained. In contrast, for so many now, faith is failing, and they are quite unaware of their changing condition as they are being drawn away from the love of the truth by the deceitfulness of sin that hardens the heart. The word of life in this hard season is for most a very difficult word to hear, but it is most necessary.
I call the principle described in the following verse the “Hear-Do Cycle.” Hearing and obedience are tied together in the matter of “how you listen.” In this season where the discernment of so many has fallen off beyond critical levels, this insight is most precious.
So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” ~ Luke 8:18
When you hear the word of the Lord, if you act accordingly with humility, faith and obedience, which is love, you are rewarded with an ear that hears what the Lord is saying even better still. In contrast, if you neglect to act in that manner your hearing becomes less acute. When your response is rewarded by being given more acute hearing, you perceive it, and it's cause for rejoicing. In contrast, the incremental loss of hearing is imperceptible. One response thus trends one way and the other response trends in the opposite direction. This is the dynamic behind the diverging trajectories of the saints in this season of increasing trial.
When Aaron has received a word from the Lord and we have been faithful to publish it to this blog, we have noted how extreme the requirements of these words are, and how serious the consequences for those of us who dismiss them, and it is duly noted that Aaron and myself are not exempt. The prophecy, preaching and the teaching that has been done on The Open Scroll has been most particularly for the preparation of a small people, few in number and humble in spirit. While much larger numbers have gained some benefit from the vast content I've been so blessed to produce, with the very much appreciated help of others like Aaron, the best of it, the real treasure, is for the most rare among us.
I'm well aware of how offensive my making of this observation is to some. Should I care? Perhaps a better question to ask is what it is that I should care more about. The Lord cares for us, not whether we take offense at reproof and correction but whether we receive it, and respond to His love in kind.
In this late hour in the close of this age, we find ourselves privileged to have the most excellent opportunities open before us. Let's pray for each other, to enter in to the Lord's provision in the hour of need and to be found worthy of Him at His coming for His Bride.
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