"Ye Are Come to Zion" - by T. Austin-Sparks

by John Mark on 03/27/24

Chapter 6 - The Controversy of Zion

Dear Saints,

This was the second of two messages from October 8, 2014.

My notes:

As Brother Sparks speaks of the controversy of Zion, Doug mentions the fact that "Zion is being contested, and now Satan occupies Zion - right now - that's the Temple mount." There is no way Brother Sparks knew of this controversy as pertaining to SRA and the satanic stronghold that occupies the place underground of the Temple as reported by survivors countless times in countless counseling sessions.

[Sparks] "Zion (if you like: Jerusalem) will be the scene and the occasion of the final, consummate conflict of the ages of this world. It will be upon Zion that everything is focused." Doug adds, more specifically, the Temple mount.

As I'm listening to this message about Jerusalem and its significance as "A sign of the times so far as the world is concerned, so far as the nations are concerned", just the other day a good friend was talking about those who quote Matthew 24:36 that "of that day and hour no one knows" as a challenge to those seeking to know the timing of the rapture. He corrected them by letting them know this passage speaks of the 2nd Advent, not the rapture. The church was at that time a mystery. Additionally, there is no prophecy related to the time of the rapture and the beginning of the 7-year day of the Lord (i.e.: Tribulation; Daniel's 70th week).

It's interesting as we read of or hear the headlines and news reports out of Israel these last few months how they coincide with Brother Sparks as he speaks of Zion and Jerusalem, "The convulsions, the upheavals, the conflicts, the unrest, the frustrations in national and international affairs, are all related to this testimony of Zion." Doug adds, "The church is right here in the midst of all that's going on... Israel is there, but the primary reason for the convulsions is the fact that the church is still on earth; it has not attained its goal yet, the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

[Sparks] "Just as the nations will vomit out the Jews and be glad to get rid of them, as did Egypt, so the nations will. So, so, a true people of God in this earth will make this world sick that the world will want to get rid of them. And the sovereignty of God will make that very attitude of antagonism and hatred and expulsion His, His own way of securing His people. He is working in the nations." As I was listening to him saying this, I thought about Revelation 3:16, "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit (vomit) you out of My mouth." Wow! I never made the connection to Egypt vomiting out the Israelites and Psalm 2. Isn't it interesting how the church, especially that which is not bearing the testimony of Jesus is so criticized and hated by the world? It is God that will be behind this vomiting out - this expulsion of what is assumed to be Christianity, but in reality is apostasy and lukewarmness. We haven't experienced this here in the west yet - but we will ... soon. This is the great shaking that will come upon the church prior to it coming upon Israel and the nations in the day of the Lord.

Brother Sparks spends quite a bit of time contrasting the "Christianity" that has its origin in the flesh - the old adamic nature - and that which originates from Jesus Christ. He says, "you cannot draw even a thin line between man's soul and its ambitions and its activities and its heat and what is really, purely of the Spirit of God. It is all so mixed up and people don't seem to be able to discriminate or discern between the two. Therefore many, many innocent people are carried away by the semblance of things, thinking that it is something quite good and quite right! Everything is indistinct; confused, with very limited revelation." This speaks of much of what we find in today's pulpits.

I really like what Brother Sparks says about how so mixed up people get as denominations form out of distortions and misunderstanding of scriptures, especially when taken out of context. "Take any bit of Scripture and use it to support something that is entirely in conflict with another thing based upon the same Scripture. It needs the Holy Spirit's interpretation, enlightenment, witness, and government to bring us to the truth of the Word, but in the realm of Christian profession, there is not such a capacity or faculty."

Without going into detail, this message really encouraged me and went well with some of my personal journey leading up to y'all reading this and listening to Doug's recorded messages. "...this ministry of Zion is constituted by a drastic work in the vessel, a deep work in the vessel. This is not something that we can take up apart from something that has been done in us, that God is doing in us: the undoing of us, the taking of us to pieces, the stripping of us, the emptying of us, and bringing us to zero and starting from there all over again with us. That's the sort of thing connected with Zion and Zion's ministry." This corresponds to 2 Timothy 4:11 when Paul called for John Mark to be sent to him as he believed finally at that point he would be useful to the ministry.

I stand into Doug's closing prayer in this recording.

Audio Link: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/10-8-14+Wednesday+Assembly+-+2.mp3

Maranatha!

John Mark

...hereby committing this unto the providential care of the enthroned Head of the Church; whose Name is blessed forevermore, Yeshua Mashiach - Jesus Christ!

 

To opt out of receiving these emails, please reply with a request to unsubscribe.