"We are being more and more impressed with the closing features of the Elijah and the Elisha type. More and more we are impressed that Elijah’s smiting of the river Jordan, the waters thereof being thus divided, pictures a mighty work yet to be accomplished, and apparently in the very near future. What will be the antitype of the folding up of Elijah’s mantle, symbolizing his power, and how long it may require to thus concentrate the forces for the smiting, we do not know. We must wait, watch, and do our pans. Then how long it will require to accomplish the smiting of the waters is also an uncertainty; and how quickly the people will be divided by the truth is also an uncertainty." (R 5845, 46)
"It will be after the smiting of Jordan - after the division of the people by the message of the truth and the mantle of Elijah’s power - that the separation of the church into two classes will take place, thereafter, the Elijah class, the Little Flock class, will be clearly manifested, separate and distinct from the Great Company class.
The division, be it remembered, will be caused by the fiery chariot - some very severe, trying ordeal, which the elect class will promptly accept and enter into; the Elisha class holding back from the persecution, but not drawing back to sin or repudiation of the Lord. It will be but a little later on that the whirlwind (probably anarchy) will bring about the ‘change’ (the translation) of the Elijah class.’
"The garnering of the wheat continues; but apparently the consuming (burning) of the tares will correspond very closely with the division of Jordan ... The smiting of the waters will reveal the truth in respect to who the real Church of Christ is, that is who the true followers of Christ are and who are merely imitations (tares). The Lord will make this distinction quite clear soon.
“Indeed I will make those of the SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN (the apostate church, the professing or nominal church), who say they are JEWS (Christians, Israelite's Indeed), and are not, but lie (i.e. deceive themselves)—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” (Rev 3:9)
Amongst the tares are many of whom who are relatively good, moral and upstanding individuals, who although professed believers in Christ have never fully consecrated themselves to the Lord. Yes many of them are consecrated, consecrated to good works, to their church, to this ministry or that ministry, but to the Lord, no. Unfortunately as the Lord so warned the tares would eventually outgrow the wheat and take control of the church (the professing church). In so doing they would begin to dictate doctrine, to make the determination as to what is and what is not acceptable to orthodoxy. The standard for discipleship would be lowered to accommodate all, instead of a life of sacrifice and conformity to Christ all that would now be required to enter the church and to secure ones heavenly inheritance would be a mere profession of faith in Christ. These have deceived themselves into believing that they are the Church (the true Church).
And then of course there are the true hypocrites, those who merely wear the badge of Christianity so far as it is to their advantage.
As stated the smiting of the waters will reveal the truth as to whom the true followers of Christ (the Wheat) are and who the nominal (in name only) Christians (tares) are. When this time comes all the honest- minded of the tare class will no longer be deceived, and henceforth will cease all pretense of claiming themselves the Church of Christ - thus they will be burned (destroyed, cease to be) tares, imitators, but will continue on as noble- minded worldly people and as such will have a share in the general blessings of the ‘sweet by and by’ under the kingdom (the earthly phase of the kingdom) for which we still pray. (Just because they come to the realization that they are not the Church does not mean that they are no longer believers, believers in the salvation secured to all thorough Christ)." (R 5950, R 5951 edited).
We believe that in the end orthodoxy, infuriated by the claims of those who continue to insist that the miracles then being performed are the works of the devil and his cohorts will in hatred incite the masses to turn upon these individuals. This will bring severe persecutions (the “chariot of fire”) upon the more prominent and outspoken of this class the results of which will lead to a division with some drawing back in fear of these persecutions, thus the Elijah class, the Little Flock, will be clearly manifested and separated from the Elisha class, the Great Company, and soon after will be taken up in the whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:11)
We will continue with our next post.
"It will be after the smiting of Jordan - after the division of the people by the message of the truth and the mantle of Elijah’s power - that the separation of the church into two classes will take place, thereafter, the Elijah class, the Little Flock class, will be clearly manifested, separate and distinct from the Great Company class.
The division, be it remembered, will be caused by the fiery chariot - some very severe, trying ordeal, which the elect class will promptly accept and enter into; the Elisha class holding back from the persecution, but not drawing back to sin or repudiation of the Lord. It will be but a little later on that the whirlwind (probably anarchy) will bring about the ‘change’ (the translation) of the Elijah class.’
"The garnering of the wheat continues; but apparently the consuming (burning) of the tares will correspond very closely with the division of Jordan ... The smiting of the waters will reveal the truth in respect to who the real Church of Christ is, that is who the true followers of Christ are and who are merely imitations (tares). The Lord will make this distinction quite clear soon.
“Indeed I will make those of the SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN (the apostate church, the professing or nominal church), who say they are JEWS (Christians, Israelite's Indeed), and are not, but lie (i.e. deceive themselves)—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” (Rev 3:9)
Amongst the tares are many of whom who are relatively good, moral and upstanding individuals, who although professed believers in Christ have never fully consecrated themselves to the Lord. Yes many of them are consecrated, consecrated to good works, to their church, to this ministry or that ministry, but to the Lord, no. Unfortunately as the Lord so warned the tares would eventually outgrow the wheat and take control of the church (the professing church). In so doing they would begin to dictate doctrine, to make the determination as to what is and what is not acceptable to orthodoxy. The standard for discipleship would be lowered to accommodate all, instead of a life of sacrifice and conformity to Christ all that would now be required to enter the church and to secure ones heavenly inheritance would be a mere profession of faith in Christ. These have deceived themselves into believing that they are the Church (the true Church).
And then of course there are the true hypocrites, those who merely wear the badge of Christianity so far as it is to their advantage.
As stated the smiting of the waters will reveal the truth as to whom the true followers of Christ (the Wheat) are and who the nominal (in name only) Christians (tares) are. When this time comes all the honest- minded of the tare class will no longer be deceived, and henceforth will cease all pretense of claiming themselves the Church of Christ - thus they will be burned (destroyed, cease to be) tares, imitators, but will continue on as noble- minded worldly people and as such will have a share in the general blessings of the ‘sweet by and by’ under the kingdom (the earthly phase of the kingdom) for which we still pray. (Just because they come to the realization that they are not the Church does not mean that they are no longer believers, believers in the salvation secured to all thorough Christ)." (R 5950, R 5951 edited).
We believe that in the end orthodoxy, infuriated by the claims of those who continue to insist that the miracles then being performed are the works of the devil and his cohorts will in hatred incite the masses to turn upon these individuals. This will bring severe persecutions (the “chariot of fire”) upon the more prominent and outspoken of this class the results of which will lead to a division with some drawing back in fear of these persecutions, thus the Elijah class, the Little Flock, will be clearly manifested and separated from the Elisha class, the Great Company, and soon after will be taken up in the whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:11)
We will continue with our next post.
