Morning Star Testimony - Sermon Notes

This message was originally recorded August 16, 2015.

My notes:

Tribulation doesn't only refer to the 7-year day of the Lord. See John 16:33; Romans 2:9; Romans 5:3; 8:35; 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; Revelation 1:9; 2:9, 10; 2:22. Tribulation includes aspects of trials, suffering, judgment, and shaking, and all these the church has or will encounter prior to the day of the Lord – and certainly during the day of visitation. If you've been listening to Doug's messages for any length of time, this will be review, but oh, so important to consider and to have it fresh in our minds.

Doug continues to remind us of the upcoming shaking that will come, first to the church, and then to the world (i.e.: the tribulation). "Anything that is earth-bound. If it's of earth, it's going to be removed. All denominations are going to be removed before the rapture. There will be no denominations, there won't even be church buildings. They're going to be gone... Everything that represents division, it's going to be gone." All that which does not align with the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17 will be removed prior to the Lord coming for the church. For those saying Jesus might come any minute now do not understand this judgment and shaking yet to come on the church before we meet the Lord in the air.

In 1 Thessalonians and 2 Peter, the phrase "like a thief" is used to describe the beginning of the day of the Lord (i.e.: the 7-year tribulation). However, in Revelation 3:3 there is a warning to the church: "if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you (literally: upon you)." This is later described in verse 10, "the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." Both these verses warn that there is coming a time when many (most?) in the church will be asleep and will be caught unprepared when judgment (the shaking) comes. This idea of the church going through such a period of shaking is as far as I know never taught by anyone today but Doug (and T. Austin-Sparks). The Apostle Peter warns, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you" (1 Peter 4:12). No doubt the church is about to be terribly surprised. The thief comes when least expected and with no warning. Remember, "the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy". God will use Satan to remove that in the church which is not according to Christ, that which represents schism and division, as well as unrighteousness and conditions warned of in Revelation 2 and 3.

Next time we hear "Jesus can come any minute", we should remember this warning clearly set out throughout the scriptures. "He will judge anything that has spot and wrinkle (see Eph. 5:27); spot - defiled by sin; wrinkle - anything that can die, anything that's old that's a representation of the old creation Adam... the natural man, anything Adamic, anything that can find its roots in Adam." "What cannot be shaken? That which is according to Christ", the new man, the last Adam, the second Man.

Speaking of kingdoms, Doug refers to the really great revelation in the Book of Daniel that tells us the kingdom of the Antichrist will be crushed by the Kingdom of God in and through the body of Christ - that's us, the church. This is another proof text the church will be in heaven during the Tribulation and the end of it when God crushes Satan under our feet.

Recommended: Erich Sauer - In the Arena of Faith

(https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/in_the_arena_of_faith.pdf)

T. Austin-Sparks - Stewardship of the Mystery - Volume II, 

(https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/stewardship_of_the_mystery_volume_2_the.html)

and then Volume I

(https://www.austin-

sparks.net/english/books/stewardship_of_the_mystery_volume_1_the.html)

Link to Audio: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/8-16-15+Sunday+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!

This message was originally recorded August 16, 2015.

My notes:

What is the kingdom of God? "The term kingdom represents a sphere and domain of the divine rule... where God rules as King... The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God in the person of His Son, the King. The kingdom represents those that are under that rule, and those who overcome share in that rule." Not all born again Christians are going to rule and reign with Christ as kings and lords. "Kingship is gained and earned; it's a part of the inheritance... which must be possessed by conflict." "Everything that we're going through now, whatever it is, is on-the-job training for ruling and reigning with Christ."

Doug quotes and explains one of my favorite verses about the kingdom, Matthew 11:12, translating it as: "For the kingdom of heaven is forcefully entered; and violent men seize it for themselves." I wonder how many actually realize what this means. Instead, perhaps most of us say, 'I'm glad we don't have to do anything to get our inheritance. Jesus paid it all.' 'I'm saved, so now I just wait 'til Jesus takes me home.' As Doug has reminded us many times over the years, 'Salvation is a free gift of God; the inheritance is only obtained by conquest.' God's purpose for the church is not to get saved. God's purpose for the church is for us to rise up and dispossess the enemy squatting on our inheritance. As we disinherit him, we possess our inheritance in Christ. Not all Christians possess the inheritance God allots to them (Col. 1:12); only overcomers. It's interesting to note that the word translated 'seize' is harpaz? - same word as is used to describe the rapture (to seize, carry off by force, claim for one's self eagerly.) "That's radical faith! The kingdom of heaven is entered by faith in Jesus Christ, but it's inherited by force... by warfare and conflict."

Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed." Doug explains. "Wait a minute! Matthew 24, Mark 13 is filled with signs that accompany and precede the second coming of Jesus Christ. What is He talking about? He's talking about that form of kingdom that will be invisible for a time," alluding to the church age. "When we were born again, we were transferred to the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ." As for this kingdom, "We (the church) are royalty. The body of Christ is the only royalty on earth today." This explains my resistance to recognize the 'royal' family in England. From what has consistently been reported from survivors of generational SRA, they are anything but royal!

Doug once again addresses the 'Hebrew Roots' movement and those who consider themselves 'Messianic Christians', distinguishing themselves from those born as Gentiles. "You try to be perfected by the law through any practice of law, you have been severed from Christ, Christian. You haven't lost your salvation; you've been cut off from grace - you've fallen from grace" (Galatians 5:4). "That company in the end - there will be no 'Hebrew Roots' movement. There will be no one that will be identified as this Gentile group over here - this Hebrew roots movement ... that's all going to be burned off... There'll only be that which is according to Christ, and Christ in heaven today - He's neither Jew nor Gentile. He's not a Jew. When He walked this earth, He was a Jew. When He died on the cross as the last Adam, He took with Him Jew and Gentile." When Jesus was raised from the dead, "He comes out in resurrection as the second Man... That second man has no vestige of the first Adam... He's the head of a new creation." We should consider the fact that the root of our Christian identity is Jesus Christ as the second Man, the last Adam, completely separate from any Gentile or Jewish root. We are a new creation (Gal. 6:15), created in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:10). 

For those that may feel offended as they listen to Doug address this subject, be it known that there is no animosity or ill will against our brothers and sisters caught up in this movement. For those who enjoy observing certain days for worship or celebration, Romans 14 addresses this and we have the freedom to do so without judging one another, nor having contempt for those who choose not to. That's when the problem emerges with disunity and schism.

Link to Audio:

https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/8-16-15+Sunday+Assembly-1.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!

This message was originally recorded March 22, 2015.

My notes:

"Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith." (Hebrews 13:7) Doug asks a vulnerable question, "Is there any faith that I have that gives evidence to that which you could imitate?"

The Gospel of Mark records James and John asking Jesus to let them sit with Him on His throne, one on the right and one on the left. They had no knowledge of the revelation of the mystery, that the not-yet created body of Christ would be in Christ IN His throne. (Revelation 3:21) "We're called to sit with Him IN His throne. That's higher than any Kingdom position that would be offered to the Jew." Remember, we were chosen in Christ BEFORE the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4); the kingdom was prepared for Israel FROM the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34).

"Exanastasis (Philippians 3:11 - translated "resurrection") will be the evidence in time of Jesus Christ as the morning star, who represents who He is as the current King of kings and Lord of lords in all of His glory as a Prophet, Priest and King. The exanastasis is the evidence that the Jesus Christ of Revelation Chapter 1 can be seen in that saint. The Jesus of Revelation 1 morally and spiritually seen - experience known - that will be the closing testimony of the church age." This is what was revealed in a representative way of Jesus Christ manifesting glory in His yet-unglorified physical mortal body on the mount of transfiguration.

As for those in the ministry today, after breaking down the scriptures relating to Paul's ministry in his day, "The Apostolic mind of ministry is very different from what we see today. To gain a seminary degree without this reality that we see in Paul in 2 Corinthians is a sham... it's just a sham; it's a shallow caricature of that which God intended those who stand in the pulpit to represent." The coming day of visitation will certainly address this deficiency and lack of reality. Jesus Christ addresses those He holds accountable in Revelation 2 and 3, the pastors of local churches, those who to God will give an account (Hebrews 13:17)

Resource Mentioned: Day by Day by T. Austin-Sparks - March 22 (https://bookministry.wordpress.com/2024/03/22/) (you can sign up there for daily emails)

Audio Link: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/3-22-15+Sunday+Assembly+1.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!

This message was originally recorded March 8, 2015.

My notes:

As the fulness of God is revealed in His Son, we the church are currently being filled into that fulness which the entire world will see when Jesus comes to establish His throne on Earth at the end of the 7-year tribulation. At the 2nd Advent, when Jesus returns to Earth glorified in and through His body, the Church, this organic spiritual body "will be the diffusion and the mechanism of the revelation of the glory of God, Christ."

As we consider the metaphor of the church being the physical human body of the Christ, and Jesus in His humanity being the head of that body, we realize that as our physical heads don't function apart from our physical bodies, neither does Jesus as the head of His body function apart from His body. This should give us much to think about as to our function and purpose here on earth during this church age, how we are involved and included in the work and function of the Holy Spirit as the Restrainer (i.e.: we are salt and light in the world), and as to our function and purpose during the day of the Lord in His ruling and reigning. We, the body of Christ, will function in sync with our head, Jesus Christ. In this message, Doug is focused on the fact that not only for all eternity will we, the body of Christ, manifest the fulness of God in Christ fully formed in us, and not only at the return of Christ in the 2nd Advent where He will be manifested in and through us, but here during this church age we have the opportunity to manifest the presence of Christ as we attain to the out-resurrection from the dead. As we decrease and His life increases in us, Jesus is manifested to this dark Christ-rejecting world. This is an aspect of the morning star (Jesus) arising in our hearts during the 4th (darkest) watch of the night. "We're here to bear the Name; we're here to manifest the new man... the heavenly man... To the degree we manifest that name will be to the degree we're sharing in the sufferings of the One who bears the name."

Once again Doug sets the timing of the 'Disclosure Event' to be that which precipitates the apostasy and then the rapture of the church occurs. Either before or after the rapture, the explanation is the same, "When that Disclosure Event occurs and the church is removed, the explanation is, 'We've removed the problem, and now mankind can attain its final evolutionary phase.'"

Doug mentions a possible scenario occurring during the Disclosure when 'bad aliens' threaten the existence of mankind, and then the 'good aliens' come to our aid as our 'saviors', ultimately resulting in the emergence of the Antichrist once the principal obstacle (the church) is removed. I found it very interesting when I watched a 2021 TV series on Syfy called Resident Alien. "A crash-landed alien takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor and slowly begins to wrestle with the moral dilemma of his secret mission on Earth." This 'alien' is a reptilian hybrid and seeks to undermine the 'grey aliens' plan to destroy humanity and populate Earth. The storyline includes a woman abducted by the 'greys' to an alien craft, impregnating and then birthing a hybrid. I'm not recommending anyone watch this, but it is amazing what Hollywood is doing to facilitate the so-far effective "soft Disclosure", programming the world to accept the concept of aliens, hybrids, and the evolution of the human species, etc.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ first addresses the church, and in particular, local assemblies (Revelation 2 and 3). "The lampstands, that is, the local churches, are to reflect this character and the light of this Person (Jesus) in our mortal bodies. That is what the local church is. To whatever degree this Christ is not seen in local churches, 'I have this against you!'"

"When the church begins to see Him (Jesus), it's going to go down. And when it goes down, there won't be any buildings, there will be no more denominations, they'll just be saints gathered together unto Him... There will be no church buildings remaining at the rapture. Oh, they'll be remaining; there won't be any real saints there."

Recommended: True Fellowship by Art Katz (https://benisrael.org/product/true-fellowship-church-as-community/)

Link to Audio: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/3-8-15+Sunday+Assembly.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!

The Final Deception Confronting the Body of Christ

A Clear Refutation of the Error that Contradicts the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church

by Pastor Doug Riggs

Dear Saints,

This message was originally recorded March 4, 2015.

My notes:

"The last and great and final deception that will be in the body of Christ – [is] the agenda of false teachers". According to Dr. Michael Lake, the doctrines of demons come from the watchers (fallen angels) and the Nephilim (hybrid offspring). The final deception confronting the body of Christ is the false teachings so prevalent in our generation related to eschatology. The confusion and deception is because the church today is not instructed sufficiently in the revelation of the mystery of the Christ, the singular and corporate aspect of the one New Man, Christ the head, the church His body. Without this key to properly interpret scripture, false teaching about the end times abounds. How many will apostatize and abandon their faith when tribulation comes upon the church (not "The Tribulation") and Jesus isn't here to deliver us? The saints at Thessalonica experienced this confusion and had to be corrected.

It's important to see the distinctions between the prophecies in the Old Testament and the gospels relating to Israel and the second coming of Jesus, and the teaching on the coming of Jesus for the church (i.e.: the rapture), two completely different events soon to come. "The message for the church is very much different than what you see in Luke 21, Mark 13, and Matthew 24. Luke 21 is actually the Temple Discourse which sets the stage for the Olivet Discourse in Mark 13 and Matthew 24 that is focusing on the 2nd coming of the Lord. In other words, you look at the events leading up to the 2nd Advent of Christ when He returns from heaven to earth to establish His kingdom, that's what those passages are focusing on. There's nothing in there of the church; absolutely nothing." Remember, the revelation of the mystery of the Christ (corporate body of Christ) was not yet revealed, so the Gospels do not prophecy the rapture of the church, only the prophecy of Israel.

The "day of the Lord" is not the same as when Jesus comes for the church. The day of the Lord is that 7-year period of time prophesied in Daniel (and other places) that pertains to Israel. The "day of Christ Jesus" ("day of Christ") refers to when Jesus returns for the church. For those confused about the 2nd coming of Jesus, it's in two phases: first He comes FOR His church; then He comes WITH His church at the 2nd Advent when He will establish His throne on Earth. Doug also clears up the confusion about the trumpet of God blown when Jesus comes for the church and the trumpets blown by angels during the tribulation... not the same. "The eschatology of the church, that is, the last days prophetic plan for the church, is distinct from Israel and the nations... There's at least 7 years separation between the translation of the church and Jesus returning with His church to this earth 7 years later." "The rapture precipitates the day of the Lord."

Doug refers to Christians who pass on being referred to as those who have fallen asleep. Some religious denominations teach 'soul sleep' based on the passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:13. However, the Apostle Paul wrote about being "absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." Being "at home with the Lord" wouldn't make sense if we are asleep.

In Ephesians 6 where the Christian armor is listed, Doug clears up the reason for the helmet of salvation. It isn't about eternal security, protecting our minds from doubting our salvation; it's about FINAL deliverance (deliverance = 'salvation' - i.e.: the deliverance of the church at the end), protecting our minds from deception and false teaching. In this message, Doug teaches us the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace is the firm footing of the fact we are eternally saved once we receive the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Doug takes us into the context and framework of the letters to the Thessalonians. "Why is he (Paul) addressing this issue (false teaching) in 2 Thessalonians? Because the suffering they were going through was being interpreted as that they were in the day of the Lord... This is not just about Thessalonica. This is about the church at the end of the age. This is giving us the framework of what it's going to be like prior to the rapture. There's going to be universal suffering."

Doug mentions The Celestial Court, his 4-part series of messages (https://www.dougriggs.org/Videos.html#anchor_53) as the explanation for those who suffered for their faith during the church age receiving vindication from the Lord.

In this message, Doug gives a scenario that the falling away (apostasy) of the church prior to the rapture will be precipitated by the Disclosure Event, the public unveiling of the "aliens" and “extraterrestrials” among us. In other messages, Doug has suggested it could happen after the church is removed and that will be used to explain the sudden disappearance of Christians at the rapture. Either way, the Disclosure event "will be the precipitating factor that will prepare the stage for Antichrist."

Doug stresses the importance of the Apostle Paul's clear teaching on the pre-day of the Lord (i.e.: pre-tribulation) rapture and it is not his private interpretation. "Pre-day of the Lord is not a position; it's the truth. You can't have 'pre-day of the Lord', 'mid-day of the Lord', 'pre-wrath', 'post-trib', 'post-day of the Lord'; only one can be right, and this is the right one. And, if you're certain about this, you're in sync with Paul. If you're not, you're not in sync with the Holy Spirit who's speaking through Paul to Gentile believers." When the doctrine of the rapture of the church is accurately taught, it should be an encouragement. "There's no encouragement about going through any phase of the day of the Lord - zero encouragement!"

Link to audio: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/3-4-15+Wednesday+Assembly.mp3

Additional Resource: Doug’s series The Helmet of Salvation (https://www.dougriggs.org/Videos.html#anchor_62)