The Book of Revelation reveals a harlot church that marries the spirit of the world instead of waiting for Christ as a pure, chaste virgin. As we see in Revelation 18:4-5, a voice will come from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, My people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”
Our first takeaway from this is some of God’s people are in this harlot church. The second is a time is coming when they will be called out before its destruction, so they do not suffer the same judgment. Since this call to come out has not yet come, we know it will be one of the great indicators that we are nearing the end of this age.
We also know from other biblical prophecies that Christ will have a church that is a pure, chaste virgin “without spot or wrinkle” that will be waiting for Him and keeping herself pure at the end of the age. This will be the greatest sign of all that we are indeed at the end of this age. One of the greatest ambitions we can have in this life is to be a part of this bride of Christ that He is so worthy to have. But how do we distinguish between the world’s church that is being built and the Lord’s church He is building?
This is one of the most important questions we can ask, not just for knowledge, but so we can become part of the bride of Christ and not be beguiled by the harlot church. We will cover many biblical prophecies about these times that are important to understand, but none are more important than those that lead us to become part of the bride.
Since the false church still has many of God’s people in it, it is doing many good works that have God’s blessing. Still, we must keep in mind God will bless many things He will not inhabit. His true church is His dwelling place. We must have a vision for pursuing something greater than just having the Lord’s blessings. We must become that city God is building, where He Himself dwells.
This is not to in any way denigrate the blessings of the Lord. We want them and need them, but we also need to have a higher vision than just being part of something He is blessing. We want to be where He dwells in His manifest presence. His manifest presence is, in fact, the greatest sign of the end of the age, as we will soon see. To know where God dwells, not just blesses, we have been given the record of the seven dwelling places of God in Scripture. Each give us insight into what His dwelling place will be like.
The first builder of a dwelling place for God on earth was Moses. The Tabernacle of Moses was a replica of the heavenly dwelling place for God and is therefore the most prophetic structure ever built. Later in this series, we will dig into this in some detail. But for now, we need to see the importance of the people God chose to build these to reveal those He is now using to build His dwelling place, the church.
The conversation between God and Moses in Exodus 33:12-16 reveals a foundational heart and devotion, which those who are being used to build a habitation for Him today must have:
Moreover, You have said, 'I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.' Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.
And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."
Then he said to Him, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?"
In the above discourse, what Moses does not want to go anywhere without is God’s manifest presence. God is always with us, but there’s a big difference between His abiding presence and His manifest presence. In His manifest presence are the greatest events in Scripture and history. The greatest of all these will come at the end of this age, as the biblical prophecies make clear.
I have spent fifty years visiting and experiencing many great churches and ministries. I have witnessed virtually every biblical miracle and seen multitudes come to the Lord. I’ve had visions, dreams, and prophetic experiences beyond my greatest hopes or expectations, and I consider all this a great privilege. However, I have only had a handful of experiences in the manifest presence of the Lord. These are far greater than the greatest miracles, the most anointed preaching, or the most spectacular worship. I love all these things and want more of them, but once I experienced His manifest presence, I was ruined for anything less.
The manifest presence of the Lord is far more than the goose bumps we feel in a service or event. The manifest presence I have experienced compelled everyone to fall flat on their faces. I have never felt any gripping fear of the Lord, glory, or magnificence like it. Even to rise in His manifest presence felt unexplainably disrespectful. But all these were just visitations. He did not remain. He is building a church that He will not only visit, but also dwell in, and His glory will abide there. He is doing this now, and we can be a part of it.
This will not happen in one place, or among one organization or network, but it will happen among some of the most remarkable people who have ever walked this earth, who will be bonded together in a work that is far beyond any earthly organization or management. There is nothing greater we can do in this life than to be part of this, and we can be a part of this. What better things do you have to do?
© 2022 Rick Joyner. All Rights Reserved.
