Apostles and Elders Organizing the Church

How should men seek healing before God? Three sentences in the Gospel of Mark are worth learning. I find them especially helpful, at least they are very effective for me. The first touches upon the power of the Lord; the second, the will of the Lord; and the third, the act of the Lord.

a) The Power of the Lord: “God can.” “And Jesus asked his father, “How long has he had this?’ And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘If you can! All things are possible to him who believes”‘ (9. 21-23). The Lord Jesus merely repeated the three words which the child’s father had uttered. The father cried, “If you can, help us.” The Lord responded, “If you cant Why, all things are possible to him who believes.” The problem here is not “if you can” but rather “if you believe.”

Is it not true that the first problem which arises with sickness is a doubt about God’s power? Under a microscope the power of bacteria seems to be greater than the power of God. Very rarely does the Lord cut off others in the middle of their speaking, but here he appears as though He were angry. (May the Lord forgive me for phrasing it this way!) When He heard the child’s father say “If you can, have pity on us and help us,” He sharply reacted with “Why say if you can? All things are possible to him who believes. In sickness, the question is not whether I can or cannot but whether you believe or not.”

The initial step for a child of God to take in sickness therefore is to raise up his head and say “Lord, you cant” You remember, do you not, the first instance of the Lord’s healing of a paralytic? He asked the Pharisees, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, “Rise, take up your pallet and walk’?” (Mark 2.9) The Pharisees naturally thought it easier to say your sins are forgiven, for who could actually prove it is or is not so? But the Lord’s words and their results showed them that He could heal sickness as well as forgive sins. He did not ask which was more difficult, but which was easier. For Him, both were equally easy. It was as easy for the Lord to bid the paralytic rise and walk as to forgive the latter’s sins. For the Pharisees, both were as difficult.

b) The Will of the Lord: “God will.” Yes, He indeed can, but how do I know if He wills? I do not know His will; perhaps He does not want to heal me. This is another story in Mark again. “And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean. Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I will; be clean’ “ (1.40-41).

However great the power of God is, if He has no wish to heal, His power shall not help me. The problem to be solved at the outset is: Can God?; the second is: Will God? There is no sickness as unclean as leprosy. It is so unclean that according to law whoever touches a leper becomes himself unclean. Yet the Lord Jesus touched the leper and said to him, “I will.” If He would heal the leper, how much more wills He to cure our diseases. We can proclaim boldly, “God can” and “God will.”

c) The Act of the Lord: “God has.” One more thing must God do. “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. Therefore I say unto you, all things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive (Gr. received) them, and ye shall have them” (11. 23-24 ASV). What is faith? Faith believes God can, God will, and God has done it. If you believe you have received it, you shall have it. Should God give you His word, you can thank Him by saying, “God has healed me; He has already done; it!” Many believers merely expect to be healed. Expectation regards things in the future, but faith deals with the past. If we really believe, we shall not wait for twenty or a hundred years, but shall rise up immediately and say, “Thank God He has healed me. Thank God, I have received it. Thank God, I am clean! Thank God, I am well.” A perfect faith can there fore proclaim God can, God will and God has done it.

Faith works with “is” and not “wish.” Allow me to use a simple illustration. Suppose you preach the gospel and one professes that he has believed. Ask him whether he is saved and should his answer be, I wish to be saved, then you know this reply is inadequate. Should he say, I will be saved, the answer is still incorrect. Even if he responds with, I think I shall definitely be saved, something is yet missing. But when he answers, I am saved, you know the flavor is right. If one believes, then he is saved. All faith deals with the past. To say I believe I shall be healed is not true faith. If he believes, he will thank God and say, I have received healing.

Lay hold of these three steps: God can, God will, God has. When man’s faith touches the third stage, the sickness is over.

We can't lose eternal life if we are saved but we can lose the reward of reigning in the 1000 years.
Soon after a person is saved he is set by God on a specific course that lies ahead of him. The entire life of a Christian can be likened to running a race. Yet this is not a racing towards the goal of eternal life. On the contrary, only the person who has eternal life is qualified to run. No, the result of this race is that some of the participants are to be crowned while others will not be.

What is meant by the crown? The crown represents the kingdom. It signifies reigning, having dominion and glory. And thus to obtain the crown means to gain the kingdom—that is to say, to reign with the Lord Jesus. For a Christian, having eternal life is already a settled matter, but having the kingdom depends on how that Christian runs.

If the loaves are not in the Lord’s hands, He cannot bless. After blessing, there must be the breaking. How people love the blessing but abhor the breaking. How can the 5,000 men be filled if there is no breaking? And how can the Lord break the loaves if they are not given over to His hand? The Lord always takes our consecration for real, and so He starts to break us. Sometimes after consecration there will come extraordinary things, such as the losing of someone you love or the losing of wealth. This is an indication of breaking, for breaking will not occur until you are consecrated.
Immediately after the Great War in Europe, a great celebration was held in London. The war had just been concluded, and the soldiers had returned home for a triumphant march. As the soldiers marched on, the sound waves of applause and praise flowed incessantly. Rank after rank had passed by until suddenly the air was explosive with the tremendous waves of even greater applause and praise. Many who watched were moved to tears. And at one point the nobility saluted and the king removed his crown. And why? Because immediately behind the marching ranks came carrier after carrier of soldiers who had lost their limbs or had been terribly wounded in body!

Those who have suffered on earth and have forsaken something for the sake of Christ, they shall receive much on that day just as had the wounded soldiers received much during that triumphal march; louder applause, higher praise, and greater glory.

Revelation 6.12 occurs right before the Tribulation since the Seals are the past twenty centuries. "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood."

That great earthquake was Haiti 2010 (5th worst natural disaster in human history).
That sun black as sackcloth is the H3 Solar Eclipse (long-dated) Nov. 3, 2013 (4th since Christ).
The moon red as blood occurs in 2014/15 on passover, tabernacles, and again, on passover and tabernacles (8th time since Christ).
The H3-Tetrad combo is the 1st since Christ.

How do we know this is the trifecta God is showing us? After all rare events happen all the time.

In 1949/50 the 6th Tetrad occurred when Israel signed the armistice treaty after becoming a nation May 14, 1948. God considers peace on paper. In 1967/68 the 7th Tetrad occurred when Israel entered Jerusalem on June 7, 1967. Why is this so important? Because of what Matthew 24 days: "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh" (v.33). The fig tree represents Israel. The summer is the millennial kingdom. "Summer is nigh" implies within a generation. Since 1948, 2015 will be 67 years. Anymore is more than "nigh".

There are 900 billion barrels of oil left in the world. At an average of 35 billion barrels a year, we have 25 years left of recoverable oil which takes us to 2035. If they find no new oil then the world will be producing 0 barrels of oil a year from 2035 on and the demand will be over 130 billion a year. A war will be fought for the few remaining drops of oil at least 10 years before 2035. The 2015 to 2022 timeline fits very well with this scenario, since Armageddon would then take place from 2020 to 2022.

God is angry. 10,000 people die a day due to to starvation, and at least 50,000 people die every day needlessly. Man is murderous to his fellow man. Add on top of that untold number of abortions every day, since man keeps murdering his fellow man, a great flood is coming: "the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined" (Dan. 9.26), even to the end of the 7 year Tribulation in Dan. 9.27.

"So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors" (Matt. 24.33). So we can know when the Tribulation starts which precedes the millennial kingdom. There won't be another Total Lunar Tetrad till 2582/83 so this is it folks!
Let's see if the 2,520th day from Sept. 14, 2015 Feast of Trumpets, which typifies the First Rapture, falls on a holiday? Darn, the 2,520th day doesn't fall on a holiday. The closest is Tisha B'Av on the 2,519th day on a Saturday, Av. 9, Aug. 6, 2022. But wait, whenever it is held on a Sabbath Tisha B'Av is held the day after. In 2022 that would be on Av 10, Aug. 7, 2022. That's a Sunday. Whew! Feels like a miracle.

Interestingly, 2,520 is smallest number divisible by all numbers from 2 to 10. I am 100% sure that is no coincidence. I love these pieces of the puzzle God gives us to the discerning.

But wait. This will all be for nought because there needs be a significant date 75 days after because Jesus steps down on the 1260th day of the Great Tribulation, judges the nations to the 1290th day and sets up Israel as the center of all nations to the 1335th day. The 75th day is Oct. 21, 2022. Where's the holiday? Doesn't look like there is any. But wait. Feast of Tabernacles is on Oct. 10, 2022. It goes for 7 days to Oct. 16. Then follows two holidays on the 17th and 18th, the second which is Simchat Torah when the Jews either bring out the three items of the ark or the Torah Scrolls to read them. So it seems we are some days off. It's nice though that the 1335th day is after the 3 feasts that pertain to when Jesus returns.

But wait! The Holy Spirit told me why the 1335th day is the 21st. Just like there is a 4 day inspection of the lamb before Passover, there is a 4 day inspection of the work of God to begin His millennial reign in the 3rd Temple. No animal sacrifice will take place, for Jesus is the Lamb of God. The 4 day inspection will be Oct. 18, 19, 20, 21. Oct. 21, 2022 is the 4th day of the inspection of the Lamb or Lion of Judah, so the millennial kingdom commences Oct. 22, 2022. Whew! That's better. Fits like a glove.

Feast of Trumpets (Sept. 14, 2015) deals with the first rapture according to readiness (Matt. 24.40-42, Luke 21.36, Rev. 3.10). Feast of Atonement (Sept. 23, 2015) ushers in the Jubilee year which should be 2015 but is postponed due to the wrath of God and wrath of Satan coming head to head. Tabernacles, of course, represents the tabernacling among men: His presence in the millennial kingdom that transitions us for the New City afterwards.

But God gives us yet another sign as if we needed anymore. There are 49 years x 360 days per year (17,640 days) from June 7, 1967 to the Day of Atonement Sept. 23, 2015. That's no coincidence friends.

But wait! He yet gives us even another sign. "And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (Dan. 8.14). When the Temple is constructed, it is still dirty, because the Jews are using it for the wrong reason. They are not to use it to perform sacrifices, but it is supposed to be built for Jesus to reign in during the 1000 years. It will be cleansed when Jesus returns immediately, because His very presence is cleansing, but there will be 45 days of setting up Israel as the center of all nations from the 1290th to the 1335th day, before Jesus steps in as it were.

Since the Temple needs to be completed before the last 2300 days of the Tribulation, does the 1st day of the 2300 days fall on a significant date? That date is April 21, 2016. Passover is April 22, 2016. April 21 is again the 4th day of inspection of the Lamb. The 4 days of inspection of the Lamb are from April 18 (Nisan 10), 19, 20, 21. Well that works.

What else? Can we place the Two Witnesses on two significant dates spanning 1260 days? Amazingly we can. There are 1260 days from April 18, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2019 Feast of Trumpets. What are the odds of that? God does not roll dice.

The Great Tribulation starts Feb. 25, 2019 (Rev. 9.1) with its 3 woes. The 2nd woe starts 5 months later on July 25, 2019 and 13 months after the 2nd woe is done, the 3rd woe begins on Aug. 18, 2020 which goes for 24 months.

The first rapture according to readiness is Sept. 14, 2015 Feast of Trumpets (Rev. 7.9), and the general rapture and resurrection occur on the first day of the 3rd woe (Rev. 11.15) on Aug. 18, 2020.

Jesus steps down Aug. 7, 2022.

Any questions?

We should see that healing is in God’s hand. Learn to trust Him Who heals. In the Old Testament God has a special name which is, “I am the Lord, your healer” (Ex. 15.26). Look to Him and He will be gracious to His own in this particular regard.

The initial step which the believer should therefore take when sick is to ferret out the cause; afterwards he may resort to several different ways for healing, one of which is to call the elders of the church to pray and anoint him with oil. This is the only command in the Bible concerning sickness.

Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5.14-15)

Make no haste in seeking a cure, but rather have dealings with God at the outset. One of the things to be done is to call for the elders of the church to anoint you with oil. This speaks of the flowing of the oil from the Head to you as one of the members of the body. The oil which the Head receives runs down upon the whole body. As a member of the body of Christ, one can expect the oil on the Head to flow to him. Where life flows, sickness is swept away. The purpose of anointing is hence to bring down oil from the Head. Through disobedience, sin or perhaps some other reason the believer has gotten himself out of the body circulation and has departed from the body protection.

Accordingly, he needs to call the elders of the church to reinstate him into the circulation and life flow of the body of Christ. This is just as in the physical body; for when any of its members is out of joint the life of the body cannot flow freely into it. Thus the anointing is to restore such a flow. The elders represent the local church; they anoint the believer on behalf of the body of Christ so that the oil of the Head may flow to him once again. Let the oil on the Head come upon that member through which life has been obstructed! Our experience tells us that such anointing may raise the seriously sick up instantly.

At times one identifies the explanation for his illness to be his individualism. This may well be the chief cause for illness. Some Christians are highly individualistic. They do everything according to their own will. They do it all by themselves. If the hand of God comes upon them they grow sick, for the supply of the body does not reach such members. I dare not over-simplify these matters. The reasons for sickness can be many and varied. One sickness may be due to disobeying the Lord’s command, refusing to carry out His will; another may be caused by committing some particular sin; but still another may be the consequence of individualism. Now in the case of certain individualists God overlooks and does not discipline; but especially in the case of those who know the church, He chastens them with illness if they commence to act independently. The Lord will not let these go without some discipline.

It is also possible that infirmity is the consequence of a defiled body. Should anyone defile his body, God will destroy that temple. Many are infirm because they have corrupted their bodies.

By way of summing up, then, no sickness occurs without a cause. If the Christian contracts an illness he should try to locate its cause or causes. After he has confessed them one by one before God he should summon the elders of the church so that they may confess to one another and pray for one another. The elders will anoint the sick one with oil that the life of the body of Christ may be restored to him. The influx of life will swallow up the disease. We believe in natural causes, but we additionally must affirm that spiritual causes have priority over the natural. If the spiritual are taken care of, the sickness shall be healed completely.

"This generation" I am sure pertains to this continuing generation since Christ. I find it strained any other way. I guess that's why reading the Bible with the Holy Spirit and without the Holy Spirit are worlds apart. But let's see if I can put words to why.

For example, if "this generation" meant just the 7 years of the Tribulation that would not make much sense since obviously 7 years is not a generation which is redundantly obvious for children born at the start of the Tribulation.

And if "this generation" meant from the time Israel became a nation, well really, we are past a generation already considering a generation is usually 30 to 40 years. At the end of the Tribulation in the year 2022 is 74 years since 1948. Many will have passed away by then if they were born in 1948, so if this generation was meant to refer to when Israel became a nation Jesus would have returned likely by the year 2000 at the outside I am guessing which I am sure caused lots of people grief when Jesus didn't return back then. Let's not make the same mistake they did by extending outward the time for generation from 30-40 years to 70-80 years.

So there can only be one interpretation.

v.34 “This generation”—The Greek text is genea, not aion. How, then, should genea be explained? We should try to find the clue from the Old Testament:

“Thou wilt keep them, O Jehovah, thou wilt preserve them from this generation for ever” (Ps. 12.7). This is a generation not in terms of a physical, but a moral, relationship.

“They are a perverse and crooked generation” (Deut. 32.5). The genea (Hebrew, dor) here is not 30 or 40 years or even a lifetime. As long as perversity and crookedness last, just so is the duration of that generation.

“For they are a very perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness” (Dent. 32.20). The generation continues as long as unfaithfulness persists.

“There is a generation that curse their father, and bless not their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, oh how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men” (Prov. 30.11-14). Obviously, such a generation is not limited to a few decades or a lifetime; rather, it points to a period marked by certain immoral characteristics.

We may receive further light from the Gospel of Matthew itself:

“But whereunto shall I liken this generation. . .?” (11.16-19).

“An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet . . . The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here” (12.39,41).

“The queen of the south shall rise in the judgment with this generation . . . Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation” (12.42,45 ).

“All these things shall come upon this generation” (23.36).

This evil generation will last just as long as evil and adultery remain. Hence the meaning of genea in 24.34 is a period of time characterized by evil, adultery, perverseness, and crookedness. Such a period has not yet passed away, and will pass away only after all these things are accomplished until Jesus returns. We can be certain mankind will continue in its evil until after WW III of the Great Tribulation.

“This generation” includes three classes of people: (1) the Gentiles who worship idols and reject God; (2) those Jews who reject Christ; and (3) the apostates—the so-called modernists. Before all these people pass away, all these things will be accomplished. The Lord will come and destroy them. Before the coming of the kingdom, all these things shall be fulfilled.

We should thus see the distinction among these three Greek words used in the Bible: kosmos is the world, aion is the age, and genea is the generation.