An Eternal Dwelling Place for God – The Church - by Pastor Doug Riggs
by John Mark on 05/29/24
This message was originally recorded February 18, 2015, a follow-up to the previous message posted.
My notes:
Doug continues from the previous assembly message with the reminder that Satan will physically occupy the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem during the day of the Lord, but currently he holds that place in the church, the inner shrine of those Christians held captive to do his will. The 'Illuminists' "laugh and mock at the Christians playing their little games, going to church, listening to sermonettes, and living the rest of their life not actually functioning as the body of Christ. It's just kind of a form or ritual to attend church. But they refer to Christians as 'zombies'." This is not meant by Doug as a condemnation of the church in general, but as a challenge to those willing to look at where we are as the church, the body of Christ, and where we are individually.
"Jesus Christ is formed in us through the work of the cross as we decrease and He increases. He is actually formed in us progressively through our obedience and dying to self, and picking up our cross and following Him. The measure in which He is actually being formed in us, there's a corresponding measure which we are being filled into all the fulness of God. To come into God's fulness, it takes Christ, because in Him, all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily."
Doug describes the reason why the antichrist comes during the day of the Lord with a bow, but no arrows. "When he comes bringing peace, there's a bow and no arrows, so the question is, 'What'd he do with the arrows?' He already let them loose; he let them loose on the body of Christ. And God has used those arrows to reduce the church of Laodicea to only that which will remain as Philadelphia." As we listen to countless prophecy teachers, how many are teaching this? The popular view, one I was taught early in my Christian life, is that everything will be peaceful and nice when Jesus comes to take us home. Then, all hell breaks out once we're gone and the tribulation begins. I just was listening to a mostly accurate contemporary bible teacher compare the taking of Enoch to heaven as he walked with God, equating that with the church, and Noah being taken through the waters of the flood equating it to Israel during the tribulation. I believe this is true, but he misses the fact the church will go through its own tribulation prior to its rescue and deliverance from the earth. We heard that in the last message posted.
Speaking of the church in the last days, Doug says, "Overcomers will not be able to be in the established churches - they're put out; they're rejected... The overcomers are not welcome in the church of Laodicea." Some of us here (and I’m sure, out there) have first-hand experience with this on more than one occasion.
One of the many reasons the church won't be here on earth during the day of the Lord (7-year tribulation) is that the church as the eternal dwelling of God, the Holy of Holies will be in heaven through whom the judgments of God on Antichrist will be administered by angels. Additionally, "the church in union with Christ is the criterion for judging Antichrist" (Daniel 7; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3). 1 Peter 4:17 says, "For it is time for judgment to begin with (literally: at and out from) the household of God... begins with us (the church) first." So judgment will come to the church to purge and refine her; then judgment will come out from the glorified church in heaven on Israel and the nations during the day of the Lord (i.e.: Revelation 6 - 19). "The church in union with Christ is the administrative tribunal that is executing these judgments. And that means all the suffering saints of the church age, their suffering will be the divine criteria as vindicated in the judgments that are taking place on earth."
Link to today's audio: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/2-18-15+Wednesday+Assembly.mp3