THE END IS THE BEGINNING – Ron McGatlinnn
In life, there must be an end before there can be a new beginning.
A fetus in the womb comes to an end of life as it has been when born into a completely different life in the world.
In over 92 years of life in this world, I have endured more than a few endings of life and new beginnings. None of the endings were pleasant or easy at the time, but the new life was good after the adjustments were made. For the most part, they were unexpected, and the end seemed to come suddenly while the new life developed.
When life began to pass away, I sometimes would try to get God to help me keep my life. I would eventually understand that it was God ending the old to move me on into the next life that was always found to be greater and more deeply in love with God. Sometimes, it took me much longer than it should have to perceive what God was doing.
THE WHOLE WORLD IS NOW COMING TO THE END OF LIFE AS IT HAS BECOME IN THESE “LATTER DAYS”, AND A FAR GREATER NEW BEGINNING OF LIFE IS COMING FORTH IN THE WORLD.
The magnitude of this change is beyond natural imagination. Much of the world is just now entering extreme ending devastation of the end of the old life. This death of the old godless life or the prideful life of mixture is devastating beyond imagination for many people and much of the world.
Why is this devastation happening? What is God doing in this worldwide ending and new beginning?
It is well described in Isaiah Chapter 2.
Thousands of years ago, the Prophet Isaiah clearly wrote in Isaiah 2 about God’s plan for the worldwide changes now unfolding in these “latter days.”
The first three verses present a clear picture of the goal of the changes now unfolding in this world.
Isaiah 2,
“2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
3 Many people shall come and say,
‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
God’s kingdom rule of love and light is being established in this world. This is far more than the church systems of past generations. This encompasses all aspects of life, including family, education, business, recreation, and every other facet of life, all of which will function according to God’s plans.
It is mankind living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit of God, through Christ, in all mankind, producing perfect righteousness, peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit. It is the King of kings, with all authority and power, ruling by love over all the lower mountains and hills, or rulers of this world.
Verses 4-9, Picture for us HOW and WHY God is making this massive change in this time.
“4 He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk
In the light of the Lord.
6 For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with eastern ways;
They are soothsayers like the Philistines,
And they are pleased with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is also full of silver and gold,
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land is also full of horses,
And there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is also full of idols;
They worship the work of their own hands,
That which their own fingers have made.
9 People bow down,
And each man humbles himself (to idols);
Therefore, do not forgive them.
Verses 10-18, Picture for us what we are to do. Additionally, it highlights specifically what is being destroyed or taken away and what is being exalted by the terror and the glory of the Lord’s majesty.
“10 Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty.
11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled,
The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—
13 Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,
And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
14 Upon all the high mountains,
And upon all the hills that are lifted up;
15 Upon every high tower,
And upon every fortified wall;
16 Upon all the ships of Tarshish,
And upon all the beautiful sloops.
17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;
The Lord alone will be exalted in that day. But the idols He shall utterly abolish.
If you don’t already know, the rock is Jesus, the cedars and oaks are mighty men that rule, the high mountains are the ruling structures on earth, and sloops are beautiful sailing vessels.
Verses 19-22, Picture man’s reactions to the glory, majesty, and terror of God changing the world.
“19 They shall go into the holes of the rocks,
And into the caves of the earth,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver
And his idols of gold,
Which they made, each for himself to worship,
To the moles and bats,
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks,
And into the crags of the rugged rocks,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.”
Verse 22 speaks of more than just separating ourselves from other people or religions.
22 Sever yourselves from such a man,
Whose breath (or spirit) is in his nostrils; (or this natural life)
For of what account is he?
It speaks clearly for us to separate ourselves from ourselves. We are to sever ourselves from our current life and ways. Our current “old” man is worthless to us in the new kingdom of heaven on earth.
I know this can be hard for us to understand. There are things in our current lives as born-again Christians that seem good and right to us but are not yet totally pure.
For example, we are pleased and feel good a bit when we do something well, like deliver a good message, make a good deal in business, make a good grade on a test, write a good book, or some other thing that we seek to do or become that comes about. Yet, if we don’t do well or suddenly fail due to an unexpected reason, or if something is taken from us unjustly, or if we are falsely accused of something that severely damages our reputation or causes other losses, we may feel badly.
Some of these things may seem natural and even good, as we care about things and try to protect the name of the Lord. Yet, the truth is that a bit of pride is involved.
We may try to give the glory to God and say that it was God who did the good thing, not us. And we may say God will take care of the unjust thing happening to us, but inside, there may be a bad feeling. Again, a hint of pride is involved.
In other words, we enjoy winning the game and feel bad when we lose. Again, an ounce of pride is involved. Just one fly in the ointment spoils the whole thing.
The ”Christian” lifestyle that we are living is not the pure life of God in us that is coming forth. Our current lifestyles are being refined or eliminated in this latter time of the reality of the kingdom of God’s love and light manifesting on earth.
We are being severed from our old lives through the Day of the Lord that is at hand and the shaking taking place in the world. We are receiving the kingdom that cannot be shaken, the kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
WE HAVE COME TO THE KINGDOM
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:22-29.
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” Revelation 21:1a.
Ron McGatlin
https://openheaven.com
basileia@openheaven.com