Kingdom Nuggets (3)

Kingdom Nuggets

Weary, Yet Pursuing

By Lanny Swaim

And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint [weary], yet pursuing them.

Judges 8:4

You can read the entire story of Gideon in Judges, beginning with the sixth chapter. The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites and many of them were hiding out in the mountains. Gideon too was hiding out by a winepress, threshing wheat when the angel of the LORD appeared to him, addressing him as a mighty man of valor, while he was feeling like anything but a mighty man of valor.

God commissioned Gideon to lead an army of Israelites against the Midianites. However, before the Israelites encountered the Midianites, God reduced the Israelite army down from thousands to only three hundred men, so only He (God) would get the glory for the victory.

Rather than attacking the Midianites with swords, Gideon gave each of the Israelite soldiers a trumpet and a lamp that was lit and hid in a pitcher. He divided his army into three groups of one hundred men each, and at his command they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, revealing the light of the lamps. Then they shouted, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon.”

When this occurred the Midianite army actually turned on themselves, killing each other, and fled from the Israelites, who then pursued them until, after crossing the Jordan, they became weary in their pursuit but continued on.

This story is a type and shadow, a picture of today’s remnant army of believers who are no less than a Trumpet People with their light (the light of the world) hidden for a season as we have been pursuing through intercession and declaration the evil globalists, radical Islamists and Communists who think it is their destiny to rule the world.

In our pursuit, as God has been positioning and preparing us through many tests and trials for the victory that lies ahead, we have grown weary and wanted to give up, while knowing that quitting is not an option.

And always, God in His wisdom and mercy always refreshes us just when we need it, enabling us to continue on.

As we are sounding the trumpet, calling the remnant to battle and proclaiming the greatest spiritual and political awakening the world has ever known, which will lead to an actual convergence of Heaven and Earth, we are beginning to witness our enemies turning on themselves as they become increasingly desperate and will soon be in full retreat.

Surely we were born for such a time as this!

Kingdom Nuggets

The Continual Coming of Jesus

By Lanny Swaim

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Genesis 5:22-24

The Hebrew rendering of the English translation of the name, Methuselah is Methushelach. It is taken from two Hebrew words, math and shelach. In Hebrew math means of full stature, like an adult. Shelach means a missile or spear (weapons of war) or a shoot of growth or branch.

As you may know, Biblical names, especially Hebrew names, have meanings that often establish or declare the destiny of the individual bearing the name, prophesying who that individual will become and what that individual will accomplish in life.

As you probably also know, Biblical numbers, like Biblical names, also have meanings. In Jude, verse 14 we are informed that Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam. Seven in scripture is representative of completion or perfection. And that would make Methuselah the eighth generation, eight meaning a new beginning.

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.

Jude 14

Of these in Jude 14 is referring to ungodly people mentioned in the preceding verses. Verse 15 speaks of the Lord coming to execute judgment on these ungodly people.

So in essence, the name Enoch chose for his son, Methuselah, prophesies of the coming of the Lord to execute judgment.

The word that is translated as cometh in Jude 14 is the Greek word, erchomai, which signifies an action begun in the past and continuing in the present, with the emphasis on the present, or an act in progress (a process). So, when Enoch prophesies the Lord’s coming, he is not speaking of a future one-time event, or of a first and second coming (a doctrine embraced by much if not most of the Church today). Instead, he is speaking of a continual coming.

Jude 14 speaks of Jesus coming with a very large number of saints, or believers. The Greek word translated as with in this verse is en, and literally means in. So, Enoch’s prophecy in Jude 14 actually says, “The Lord continually comes in ten thousands of His saints.”

Jude, verse 15 informs us that Jesus is coming to execute judgment on ungodly people. Again, this is a continual event and not a one-time event. The English word judgment in this verse is the Greek word, krisis. From krisis, we get the English word crisis.

Krisis in Greek implies a separating or surrendering, a trial or contest, especially when justice and injustice, right and wrong are considered.

We first learn of Enoch in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, (Genesis meaning beginning), very early on in the fifth chapter.

To clearly understand scripture, especially prophetic scripture, we must compare scripture with scripture. I find it incredibly enlightening that in the beginning of the Bible a Biblical truth is established; that Jesus’ coming is continual. Not future, not first and second, but continual (past, present and future).

Without this knowledge, it becomes very easy to misinterpret much of the rest of the Bible. And a misinterpretation of prophetic scripture greatly affects the way we function as the Lord’s Ekklesia (Greek for Church, meaning a governing or legislative body).

In the next several Kingdom Nugget teachings we’ll be looking at different aspects of the continual coming of Jesus, and shed light of some of the misinterpretations of His coming. You aren’t going to want to miss any of them, because, surely we were born for such a time as this.

Kingdom Nuggets

The Continual Coming of Jesus (2)

By Lanny Swaim

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Hebrews 7:1-3 (emphasis added) & Genesis 14:18 (note: a difference in spelling – Melchisedec in Hebrews, Melchizedek in Genesis but the same person)

In our last Kingdom Nugget teaching we took a prophetic look at the name, Methuselah, the first son of Enoch, from the fifth chapter of Genesis and the New Testament Book of Jude, which indicates that Jesus coming is continual and not a first and second coming, or any other number for that matter.

If you missed that, I encourage you to go back and watch/read it.

In this teaching, we are going to look at another Genesis confirmation that Jesus’ coming is continual.

There has been much speculation as to who Melchisedec actually was. Hebrews 7:3 states that he was made like the Son of God. When taken at face value, this statement seems to indicate that he wasn’t the Son of God, but only like the Son of God.

But let’s put this statement in the perspective of when Melchisedec appeared on the timeline of history, long before Jesus was revealed as the Son of God when He was born in Bethlehem.

When we look at the description of Melchisedec in Hebrews and then at the fact that He served Abraham what we commonly refer to as communion (see Genesis 14:18), long before Jesus went to the cross on the timeline of history, and that Abraham tithed to him (see Genesis 14:20), it appears that he was made more than like the Son of God. It seems he must have been a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son of God.

The fact that he served Abraham communion long before the crucifixion took place on the timeline of history is confirmation that Jesus was crucified from the foundation of the world (see Revelation 13:8), from an eternal perspective. He was not initially crucified at the time of a so called first coming but instead has always been crucified.

Another way of saying this is that His crucifixion was revealed when He was crucified on the timeline of history.

Melchisedec was the king of righteousness and the king of Salem (Salem meaning peace). He wasn’t born into the world having a father and mother, nor did he have ancestors. His life had no beginning and no end on the timeline of history.

Who else could he have been other than a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus?

And, if he was in fact a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus, then Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem many years later was not His first coming. And if there is no first coming, there will be no second coming.

His coming is continual, period.

Kingdom Nuggets

The Continual Coming of Jesus (3)

By Lanny Swaim

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-3, 14

…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 13:8

In the last two teachings on the continual coming of Jesus, we have looked at His coming being continual on the timeline of history. In this teaching, I want to look at the eternal aspect of His continual coming.

Revelation 13:8 informs us that Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1:4 tells us that we were chosen to be in Him before the foundation of the world.

So everything that has happened, is happening or ever will happen on the timeline of history in a time/space universe, has not only already happened and will forever be happening; it is continually happening.

Someone has said that God created time to keep everything from happening at once. Perhaps another way to look at eternity would be to say it is an ever present now.

The Hebrew view of eternity is a never ending circle, going round and round and round.

The better I get to know the Lord, and the better I understand scripture (especially prophetic scripture), the more I experience eternity even though I still live in a physical body on a physical planet in a physical universe.

While on a day to day basis we make choices and decisions that have benefits and consequences, from the eternal perspective, we have no control over our lives, having been chosen to be who we are and on the path we are on. From that perspective our destiny is sealed, period.

The primary revelation that has opened up this eternal perspective to me and caused me to realize that Jesus’ coming is continual rather than a first and second coming, is an understanding of the prophetic significance of the Feasts of God; Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, with Passover and Tabernacles being three part feasts. So there are three main feasts with seven total feasts.

The coming of Jesus as the Son of Man, being born on Tabernacles and crucified on Passover and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in the second chapter of Acts are the first prophetic fulfillment of the feasts. However, there is another prophetic fulfillment of them that has and is taking place during the Church Age of the past two thousand years and the Kingdom Age, which we are now entering into.

For more on the second prophetic fulfillment of the Feasts of God, go to “More” at the top of any page on my website and scroll down to read an entire book on the subject, free of charge.

www.lannyswaim.com

Without a working knowledge and understanding of the prophetic significance of the Feasts of God, it is impossible to fully understand the New Testament or any of the prophetic scriptures in the Old Testament or the New Testament.

The Feasts of God contain understanding of God’s plan for mankind and for all of creation.

To realize that Jesus’ coming is continual rather than a future second coming will change your understanding of the purpose of the Gospel and of God’s purpose for you and the ministry He has called you to and chosen you for.

And, if you are one of the chosen remnant for this new day we have now crossed the threshold of on the timeline of history, this realization will help you to better understand and navigate the tests and trials you have and very possibly are continuing to be subjected to, as you are being prepared to reign with the Lord, ruling and discipling the nations as the Kingdom of God comes in/on Earth as in Heaven.

Surely, absolutely we were born for such a time as this!

Kingdom Nuggets

The Continual Coming of Jesus (4)

By Lanny Swaim

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Matthew 24:36 & 42

In Matthew 24:34 Jesus said that the generation He was speaking to would not pass away before the things He was prophesying in this chapter came to pass. That being the case, the coming He was speaking of here is past history, not future history as many want to believe.

However, considering the continual coming of Jesus we have been studying, perhaps there is a principal set here that encompasses additional time periods other than the fulfillment of this chapter in AD 70 when Rome destroyed much of the city of Jerusalem, including the temple, killing many of the Jews and shipping many others off to the slave markets of the world, leaving only a remnant in Judea (the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew).

Jesus’ coming is not confined to a first and second coming or to any specific number of comings. It is continual, and those continual events in the lives of individuals or of the Church or even nations, usually if not always are unexpected in the moment they actually happen.

When I have had supernatural experiences, some of which Jesus actually appeared to me, I wasn’t expecting them when they happened. Often I wasn’t in a spiritual state of mind at all.

So, while we can be expectant or watching for these occurrences to come, the manifestation of His presence or the presence of angels or some other dream or vision, seems to usually be somewhat of a surprise.

I have and usually experience His manifested presence when I lead worship as a worship leader in a group setting, but I have learned that even then it is a mistake to expect Him to show up in a specific way or in the way He has done in the past. He seems to enjoy taking us by surprise.

I say this to make a point.

We have tried so hard to put future history into a chronological order based on what I believe is usually an intellectual understanding of prophetic scripture rather than a revealed understanding of it, with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit refusing to be put in our boxes.

He wants us aware of the significance of the time in which we live so we know how to proceed in faith and in agreement and corporation with His plans, but that kind of knowledge only comes by revelation of the Holy Spirit. Intellectual knowledge just will not cut it. In fact, intellectual knowledge will mislead us and cause us to fail in our callings.

At such a crucial time in history, we cannot allow that to happen.

We must do what 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to do:

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Kingdom Nuggets

The Continual Coming of Jesus (5)

By Lanny Swaim

This is God speaking to the Israelites in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. If thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

Exodus 23:20, 22, 29-30

Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.

Isaiah 28:9-10

We have been taught that Jesus will one day touch down on the Mount of Olives, set up His earthly Kingdom and rule the world from Jerusalem.

Have you ever thought about what a kingdom like that would look like and how it would function?

That kind of civil kingdom would have to have laws and those laws would have to be enforced.

Does that concept not go against Jesus ruling by changing people’s hearts?

In the wilderness, before they began conquering the Promised Land, the Israelites were given laws to follow, only to prove their inability to follow those laws.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.

Hebrews 8:10

The people of Israel could not obey God’s laws by attempting to do so. They proved that over and over. It took another action on the part of God to enable them to keep His commandments. It took the coming of Jesus as the Son of Man, going to the cross and then being resurrected and sending the Holy Spirit to indwell believers.

That action established a covenant between God and His people, changing their nature and character, enabling them to obey His commandments.

As Christians we would like everything to be instant. But more often than not, God’s way of dealing with mankind is a process rather than instant.

That’s why mankind has suffered through the past six thousand years of pain and death to bring us to this new day (millennium) when mankind and creation will be perfected.

Perfection cannot happen instantly. Perfection where mankind is concerned is about character, and character cannot be created; character has to be developed.

That’s why Adam and Eve had to fall in order to become like God in character. They had been created sinless but not perfect. In order to begin the process of perfection, they had to come to a knowledge of good and evil, without which Jesus could not have come as the Son of Man, enabling mankind to begin the process of perfection, which is completion.

As we enter this new day the continual coming of Jesus is bringing us closer and closer to the completion of God’s plan of redemption and restitution, not only for mankind but for all of His creation.

Surely we were born for such a time as this!

Kingdom Nuggets

The Continual Coming of Jesus (6)

By Lanny Swaim

And when he [Jesus] had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven: This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Acts 1:9-11

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Luke 21:27

In this Kingdom Nugget teaching we will look at one of the misconceptions or misinterpretations of scripture that puts a coming of Jesus somewhere off in the future rather than His coming being continual like we have been studying.

If you have missed any of the recent teachings on the continual coming of Jesus, I encourage you to go back and watch/read them. Even if you have watched/read them, you may want to review them.

An easy access to all the previous Kingdom Nugget videos is the icon on the home page of my website, and the written versions are also posted on the site. Simply click on Kingdom Nuggets at the top of any page and scroll down to read them.

www.lannyswaim.com

According to Acts 1:12 the narrative that took place in Acts 1:9-11 took place on the Mount of Olives, with Jesus ascending into the sky until He was hidden by a cloud. Because the angels told those gathered there that Jesus would come in like manner, it has been assumed that at some point in the future He will touch down on the Mount of Olives and that the Mount of Olives will then split in half.

The Mount of Olives splitting in half is based on Zechariah 14:4:

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

In his book, Secrets of Golgotha, Ernest L. Martin (the author) states that a rabbi named Jonathan witnessed the departure of the Shekinah glory of God (the glory cloud) from the temple in AD 66.

If this is true, God’s presence had not left the temple after the veil was torn in half from top to bottom on the day Jesus was crucified (see Matthew 27:50-51/Mark 15:37-38), signifying that everyone, not just the High Priest, now had access to God.

When the glory cloud left the temple, it then allegedly rested on the Mount of Olives for three and a half years before ascending into the sky several months prior to Titus and his army arriving in Jerusalem in AD 70, fulfilling Zechariah 14:4, which states that God’s feet (not Jesus’ feet) (see Zechariah 14:3) would stand on the Mount of Olives, and that the Mount of Olives would be split in half.

The Mount of Olives was in fact split in half when the Romans built a road from east to west in the first century, creating a valley through the middle of it.

So, the belief that Jesus will at some future time touch down on the Mount of Olives and split it in half is not in the Bible. It is an assumption based on Zechariah 14:4, taking that verse out of context because it has already occurred and is definitely referring to God’s presence resting on the Mount of Olives, not Jesus’ feet touching down on the Mount of Olives.

In our next teaching on the continual coming of Jesus I want to look closely at the cloud that hid Jesus as He ascended from the Mount of Olives and the cloud spoken of in Luke 21:27.

Kingdom Nuggets

The Continual Coming of Jesus (7)

By Lanny Swaim

Acts 1:9-11

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Luke 21:27

My little children, for whom I am again in [the pains of] labor until Christ is [completely and permanently] formed within you.

Galatians 4:19 AMP

In our last teaching we looked at the Mount of Olives being split in half, determining that occurrence to be a historical event rather than a future event.

In this teaching we will focus on the cloud of Acts 1:9-11 and Luke 21:27.

In both these scripture references, the Greek word for cloud is nephele, which literally means a water vapor cloud, unlike the cloud spoken of in Hebrews 12:1. The Greek word there is nephos, indicating a metaphoric use of the word, cloud; a great cloud of witnesses.

However, there is the possibility and indication that even though the word for cloud in Acts 1:9 and Luke 21:27 was literally a water vapor cloud, it may have been used metaphorically there as well. I believe this is confirmed by the fact that several other places in the Bible use clouds metaphorically.

If that is in fact the case, at Jesus’ ascension He was received by the great cloud of witnesses spoken of in Hebrews 12:1 and His return will be in a great cloud of witnesses.

I believe this to be the case. And I believe this is what the apostle Paul had in mind when he spoke of Jesus being fully/completely and permanently formed in believers.

We all know that Jesus took up residence in us when we were initially born again. But Paul indicates there is a process of Jesus being fully formed in us; fully indwelling us with the fulness of His character and power.

This is how Jesus will return to rule the world as King of kings and Lord of lords. Think about what the terms King of kings and Lord of lords actually mean. These terms indicate that He will rule in and through a people who He has completely indwelled with His character and power.

This is part of the continual coming of Jesus.

There is no second coming of Jesus. Only a continual coming.

Many, perhaps most believers are missing His coming today just as most of the Jews missed His coming as the Son of Man when He was born in Bethlehem.

But, glory to God, there is a remnant who are beginning to see and walk in the reality of His continual coming.

Surely we were born for such a time as this!

Kingdom Nuggets

The Continual Coming of Jesus (8)

By Lanny Swaim

Isaiah 28:9-10

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Daniel 2:44-45 (emphasis added)

The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:22-24

The coming of Jesus, which has been a continual reality since the foundation of the world (see Revelation 13:8) until the present time and on into the future, is about His superimposing Himself into creation, bringing all of creation to completion/perfection, not in the sense of bringing it to an end, but instead bringing it to an ongoing completion/perfection, being overwritten by eternity; this being made possible by the Kingdom of God coming in/on Earth as in Heaven.

Daniel 2:44-45 is a picture of this.

While the iron, brass, clay, silver and gold in Daniel 2:45 represent specific kingdoms, the implication is that Jesus will set up a kingdom that will supersede not only these five kingdoms but all the nations of the earth.

I find it very interesting that Jesus’ kingdom will come into existence not after these kings, but in the days of these kings. This implies that the nations of the world aren’t going away, but instead will be overwritten by the Kingdom of God.

Revelation 11:15 is a prophetic scripture that confirms this reality.

The kingdoms [nations] of this world are become the kingdoms [Kingdom] of our Lord [Jesus], and of his Christ [the Body of Christ]; and he shall reign for ever and ever [in and through His people].

While much of the Church is looking for Jesus to come back in the flesh and rule the world from Jerusalem, Jesus is preparing a people to rule by implanting His Kingdom within them. These people, who at the present time are only a remnant within the Church, are taking their rightful positions in the politics and societies of the world, implementing the Kingdom of God precept by precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little, until the stone that the builders rejected becomes the capstone.

Surely we were born for such a time as this!

Kingdom Nuggets

The Continual Coming of Jesus (9)

By Lanny Swaim

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 1:8

The Book of Revelation is not the revelation of the end-times, as many have interpreted it to be. Verse one of chapter one clearly says it is The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Actually, the term end-times cannot be found in the Bible. The Bible does speak of last days, but that must be put in the context of 2 Peter 3:8.

Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

There is a parallel between the seven days of creation and the seven thousand years the Bible focuses on.

On the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first descended on about 120 believers in an upper room in Jerusalem, Peter said that they were in the last days (see Acts 2:17). Actually, they were in the fifth day, which is the latter part of the week.

Using the Gregorian calendar, which I believe God has made provision for, we are now in the seventh day (millennium), which is also the third day of the Church.

In Luke 13:32 Jesus said:

Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

He wasn’t talking about the third day after the crucifixion when He walked out of the tomb. His body was not perfected even though it had become immortal. He still had the scars of the crucifixion in His hands, feet and side.

So when will His body be perfected? In the third day of the Church.

As we have now crossed the threshold of the third day of the Church, which is the seventh day of/since creation, there is a remnant of believers who are getting a glimpse of the perfection that awaits us all. Many of us have been severely tested and tried, giving us a taste of that perfection as we have come through the tests and trails as overcomers.

We are a firstfruits company, trailblazers and pilgrims, paving the way for many more to follow until all of creation becomes God’s original intent, perfect and complete.

We are coming to an understanding that we will eventually be filled with all the fulness of the Godhead, mature and complete in Him, which is His continual coming in a people, ultimately filling all of creation with Himself.

My little children, for whom I am again in [the pains of] labor until Christ is [completely and permanently] formed within you.

Galatians 4:19 AMP

This is our destiny, fully mature and complete, with His character fully formed in us.

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.

Jude 14

As we have previously studied, the Greek word translated as with is en, and should have been translated in.

He is and will be fully formed in a people in this seventh day (millennium) of/since creation, which is the third day (millennium) of the Church, enabling the Church to become experientially holy and without blemish, not having spot, wrinkle or any such thing, a glorious, unified Church, taking her place as the Lord’s Ekklesia (Greek for Church meaning a governing/legislative body), literally bring the Kingdom of God in/on Earth as in Heaven.

This is the ultimate purpose of the Lord’s continual coming, and why we must understand His coming is continual.

Surely, without a doubt, we were born for such a time as this.

All glory to God!

Kingdom Nuggets

Times of Refreshing

By Lanny Swaim

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

The apostle Peter in Acts 3:19-21 (emphasis added)

I believe our scripture reference for this teaching is prophetic for the day we are now living in and that it has three applications.

The first application is personal, for us as individuals. The second is for the Body of Christ and more specifically for a remnant of the Body of Christ at the present time. The third is for those in the world without a relationship with the Lord and for the nations.

Individually we all need refreshing from time to time. Personally, I have grown weary more then I want to admit in recent times as the testing and trials designed to mature and position us for greatness have been serious and rather intense.

Recently, during a time when I just wanted to quit and end the process of maturity and positioning, I spent some time with the Lord on my screened in porch. He reminded me of when I first came to believe in Him, as a product of the Jesus People Movement of the early 1970’s. Once again I experienced the intense love for Him I knew back then. Before I came to know that the Bible is the Word of God or had formed almost any doctrinal beliefs, my life had been radically changed because I knew that I knew that He is the truth I had been searching for.

Then He began to remind me of the many incredible miracles and answers to prayer I have experienced in the 50+ years I have been getting to know Him; and I do mean incredible. From miraculous healing/provision/rescues/protection/etc. to dreams and visions and hearing His voice frequently and clearly. I remember when He baptized me with the Holy Spirit by taking me out of my body and pouring the gift of tongues through me while I was totally unaware off what was going on. Finally, having come back to myself, I realized I was speaking in a language I had not learned as fast as my tongue would go, and that I had been doing it so long that I had slobbered all down my chest and my shirt was soaked.

He reminded me of when He walked through the closed door of my bedroom at a Full Gospel Business Men’s Advance in South Carolina a few years ago, sat down on my bed and talked with me.

I could go on and on. There have been so many experiences but you get the point. It is good to remember our encounters with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) from time to time, especially when we are in the heat of the battle and perhaps more than a little weary.

You may have had similar experiences to mine, or yours may be different, but if you are born again and especially if you are baptized with the Spirit, you too more than likely have experiences to draw hope and encouragement from.

In our next teaching we will look at times of refreshing for the Body of Christ and more specifically for a remnant within the Body of Christ.

Kingdom Nuggets

Times of Refreshing (2)

By Lanny Swaim

The apostle Peter in Acts 3:19-21 (emphasis added)

I believe our scripture reference for this teaching is prophetic for the day we are now living in and that it has three applications.

In our last teaching we looked at times of refreshing for us as individuals. In this teaching we will look at times of refreshing for the Body of Christ and more specifically for a remnant of the Body of Christ.

In the spring of 2000, at a Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) Advance in North Carolina, while out walking and praying in the Spirit before breakfast on a Saturday morning, the Lord spoke to me and said, “I am now anointing you to lead praise and worship.” I simply replied, “Okay.”

I have been a musician/singer/songwriter for most of my life, but had not been a worship leader and really didn’t want to be. I preferred being in the audience during times of corporate worship.

As I began to lead praise and worship at FGBMFI functions and then at church meetings, I realized I had a special anointing to lead people into the presence of God, where the gifts of the Spirit were frequently activated and people often saw visions or had other spiritual experiences. Once a lady who was almost blind had her sight restored as I was leading worship without anyone praying for her or even knowing she had been nearly blind.

I realized these times of worship when we come together as the Body of Christ, and the refreshing experience of being in the manifested presence of God, were of great importance to believers, especially those of a remnant of the Body of Christ who have and often continue to be tested and tried rather severely.

The same day the Lord told me He was anointing me to lead praise and worship, I met a revivalist named Miguel Escobar, who traveled the world spreading revival fires of encouragement and refreshing to the many he ministered to in over 90 countries at the time of his passing, joining that great cloud of witnesses.

The day I met him the Lord told me I would travel with him for a period of time, which began about two years later and lasted for several years. Everywhere we traveled to and ministered, times of refreshing took place.

I now know Miguel was a forerunner of the greatest spiritual and even political awakening the world has ever known, which is now on the horizon. I was blessed to be a part of that but am even more blessed to be involved in the coming awakening.

All the tests and trials I have endured have been preparation for what is about to take place, and I know my anointing to lead worship plus additional anointings to teach and operate in an apostolic capacity will have a part to play in the time ahead.

The Lord has brought times of refreshing to me, and to the Body of Christ (especially a remnant of the Body of Christ) at just the right times to keep us on track and progressing.

Surely we were born for such a time as this!

In our next teaching we will look at times of refreshing for the world/nations.

Kingdom Nuggets

Times of Refreshing (3)

By Lanny Swaim

The apostle Peter in Acts 3:19-21 (emphasis added)

I believe our scripture reference for this teaching is prophetic for the day we are now living in and that it has three applications.

In our last two teachings we looked at times of refreshing for us as individuals, and for the Body of Christ and more specifically for a remnant of the Body of Christ. In this teaching we will look at times of refreshing for the world/nations.

A great awakening is being prophesied that will not only impact the Church but the entire world.

Depending on how you count them, many acknowledge that the United States has experienced at least two great spiritual awakenings in the past, plus numerous revival moves. But awakenings and revivals are not limited to or unique with the United States, where I happen to have been born and reside, and the coming greatest of all awakenings/revivals will be worldwide, literally bringing about a convergence of Heaven and Earth, when the nations of the world become the Kingdom of God, prophesied in Revelation 11:15.

While we should always be preaching the Gospel and expanding the Kingdom, throughout history there have been specific times when God has visited awakening/revival upon specific areas and/or nations.

A recent time in the United States was in the late 1960’s and early 1970,s, when the Jesus People Movement, which started on the west coast and swept the nation, brought many young people into the Kingdom of God.

The Charismatic Movement/Renewal coincided with the Jesus People Movement and exposed many to the baptism with the Holy Spirit across most if not all denominational boundaries.

All of these awakenings/revivals (times of refreshing) were preparing for the coming awakening, which is now beginning and will be greater and more widespread than any of the past.

We are about to experience the greatest time of refreshing ever known to mankind, which will literally change the world.

Surely we were born for such a time as this; glory to God!

Kingdom Nuggets

Times of Restitution

By Lanny Swaim

The apostle Peter in Acts 3:19-21 (emphasis added)

I believe our scripture reference for this teaching is prophetic for the day we are now living in.

In the three previous teachings we have looked at three different applications of times of refreshing.

These times of refreshing are precursors or forerunners of times of restitution.

Restitution has to do with returning something to its rightful owner or having to pay for taking something from its rightful owner.

Satan has hijacked the lives of individuals, hijacked the original purpose of the Church, and hijacked the destiny of nations.

But God is raising up a remnant of believers, putting them through a process of tests and trials, preparing them to reestablish the apostolic Church as it was originally birthed by the Holy Spirit and to literally rule the world, not by force or coercion but by changing hearts.

To insure that those of this remnant don’t grow weary beyond measure and fall by the wayside, He sends times of refreshing to restore them and keep them on track.

These times of refreshing lead to and even incorporate times of restitution, which are precursors or forerunners of a complete convergence of Heaven and Earth.

Jesus is the builder of the Church (see Matthew 16:18) and God the Father often sends Him in various ways to initiate these times of restitution, which is part of His continual coming we have studied in previous Kingdom Nugget teachings.

He has appeared to many of us in dreams and visons, and sometimes actually in person, just when we needed Him to manifest in such a way.

Ultimately, these times of restitution will lead to the restitution of all things, finalizing the convergence of Heaven and Earth, restoring creation to its original intent and purpose.

What an amazing plan!

Surely, absolutely and without a doubt we were born for such a time as this!

Kingdom Nuggets

Where We Are on the Timeline of History

By Lanny Swaim

Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Hosea 6:1-2

Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Luke 13:32

Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2 Peter 3:8

While much prophetic scripture that has been misinterpreted and put off somewhere in the future has already occurred, there is still prophecy to be fulfilled.

When Jesus walked out of the grave His body was not perfected. He still had the scars of the crucifixion in His hands, feet and side, and possibly other scars as well. A scared body is not a perfected body.

So when will His body be perfected? In the third day (millennium) of the Church, which is the day He was speaking of in Luke 13:32.

However, the perfecting of His body in Luke 13:32 is not referring to His physical and now immortal body, but instead to the Body of Christ; the true Church. His physical body is eternally scared so that we, the Body of Christ can be eternally perfected, glory to God!

Peter gives us insight into the way God counts days. In 2 Peter 3:8 he placed great importance on our need to understand this one thing; that a day is equal to a thousand years and a thousand years is equal to one day.

So there is a parallel between the seven days of creation and the seven millennia the Bible focuses on. When Peter stood up and preached on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in the second chapter of Acts, and stated that they were in the last days, he was referring to the last days of the week. Considering the parallel between the seven days of creation and the seven millennia the Bible focuses on, they were in the fifth day of/since creation. However, this fifth day of/since creation was only the first day of the Church.

Now we are in the seventh day of/since creation, which is the third day of the Church.

Many interpret the term last days in scripture as end-times, but there are no end-times. That term cannot be found in the Bible. Last days is simply referring to the last days of the week. And, I believe that while God uses the Hebrew calendars in Biblical prophecy, I believe He also has made provision for and uses the Gregorian calendar as well. And while the Gregorian calendar was not in existence when Peter made his statement, I believe his statement plays out on the Gregorian calendar.

My personal experience and the experience of the Church and the world since the turning of the century (from the twentieth century into the twenty-first century) confirms this reality.

And that experience has to do with the prophetic fulfillment of Hosea 6:1-2, which we will look at in our next Kingdom Nugget teaching.