revelation Archives - Colin Dye

A Door Open in Heaven

Colin Dye — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:46:29 +0000

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice that I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here and I will show you things that must take place after this’. Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven and One sat on the throne.” Revelation 4:1-2

In the last few years, God has blessed our network with some remarkable visitations. We’ve had seasons of Holy laughter, Oil on hands and many revival healings. Yet, as wonderful as these times were, today God wants to lift us into a higher realm – a realm where we will see the throne and the One who sits on it.

He wants the glimpses we have had of His glory to become habitual times in His presence. And so He is stirring up a holy dissatisfaction in His people. He is calling us to new levels – of fellowship and communion, worship and intimacy, wisdom and revelation power. This will bring us to even higher realms of divine disclosure.

Stir up the promises

What are the things God has spoken to you in the past? What are the promises He made to you when you met Him in prayer? Remember the seasons when you were so anointed that you preached the gospel to your friends and saw them come to Christ? Now is the time to go through your notebooks and remind yourself of these things! Begin to lay hold of everything He has ever spoken to you. It’s only when you learn to maintain what you attain that He will bring you into new things.

Remember Peter in the boat with the other disciples? He is on familiar territory and he’s bored with the ordinary. Then a holy dissatisfaction rises up on the inside of him. And, almost in answer to this holy dissatisfaction, along comes Jesus – walking on the water! What does this do? It forces Peter to sit up and take notice.

Can you see that Jesus did not perform this miracle simply to prove His deity? The key to understanding God’s motivation behind all signs and wonders is found in Mark 6:52, ”They had not understood about the loaves. Just before the disciples saw Jesus walk on water, the feeding of the five thousand had taken place. And they hadn’t understood that this miracle was not just about the provision of bread.

Your supernatural calling

Jesus had blessed the bread – but the miracle of increase took place in the hands of the disciples! Jesus was saying to them, ”I have called you to preach the gospel to the poor. This is your calling”. But because they had not understood, Jesus decided to confront them with a level of the supernatural that they couldn’t ignore. He decided to scare heaven into them by walking on the water! He wanted them to know that there is only one way to reach a dead and dying world and that’s through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

So what does Peter do in response? He rises to the challenge and says to Jesus, “Lord if it is You, command me come to You on the water”.

?In this simple statement he gives us three keys to the miraculous. Firstly, he says, “Lord if it is You”. I predict that in this season of Holy Spirit visitation, the greatest miracles will be done not by the leadership but by all God’s people. Therefore each of us must ask Him what He’s calling us to do in this miracle hour.

Secondly, he says, “Command me.” Peter is offering Jesus his obedience. In matters of the miraculous, obedience is as important as faith. If we are not working in obedience to Him, God is limited in what He can do through us. Thirdly, Peter says, “Command me to come to you”. In other words,” I want to be with you Lord.”

Experience His passion and power

Being with Jesus should be the overriding motive for all that we do. The glory and beauty of the miraculous is that we find Jesus there and experience His power and His compassion.

God wants to restore the supernatural to the church in Britain and Europe. The door open in heaven is for us to see the One who sits on the throne and desire to be with Him. As the Holy Spirit calls us into higher fellowship, we realise that Jesus is the glorious point of it all. Be bold! Go through the open door to be with Jesus, as Peter did, and see the miracles go with you.

The post A Door Open in Heaven appeared first on Colin Dye.

Going Deeper – God Revealed

Colin Dye — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:35:03 +0000

God sending his Son into the world that first Christmas was his open invitation to the world to get to know him. The revelation of the Father in the Son is the greatest act of God’s self-disclosure in all human history. Nothing could ever surpass this. Jesus was able to say, “He who has seen me has seen the Father”. He was and remains forever “the express image of God and the very stamp bearing the very likeness of God’s being and nature”.

The enormity of this is mind-boggling. That God would become a man in the Person of his Son, Jesus Christ, is an act of almost unimaginable humility.

The enormity of this is mind-boggling. That God would become a man in the Person of his Son, Jesus Christ, is an act of almost unimaginable humility. That God could do it is easy to understand. God can do anything. He is not so big that he cannot become small. His love drove him to do it. He wanted us to see him that we could know him and enter into deep communion with him.
The apostolic witness is clear: That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3).
The apostles saw him, heard him, and even touched him. They proclaimed their witness in truth and humility. It happened, just the way they said. And this message makes it possible for us to see him and to know him, not through his physical presence, but by the faith he gives making him just as real to us as he was to them.
We know that our faith rests ultimately on the revelation of God made known through facts of history. The incarnation, the crucifixion and the resurrection are not just nice ideas to lift our spirits through certain festivals of the Church. They remind us that God is real and is drawing us close to himself.
For those who have never received Christ into their life he says, “Come to me”, and for those who already know him, he says, “Come closer”. May God give you an ever deepening relationship with himself, this Christmastime and forever.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! From Colin and Amanda Dye

The post Going Deeper – God Revealed appeared first on Colin Dye.

No Turning Back!

Colin Dye — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:17:23 +0000

Read: Genesis 5:23-24. This short passage yields a wealth of revelation. It tells of a man called Enoch who had but one priority in life ? to walk with God in unbroken communion and deep intimacy.

No turning back!

The book of Hebrews describes this as an act of faith that pleased God. It is as if Enoch?s walk with God took him on a journey from which, one day, he found there was no return. He was not, because God took him! God was so pleased with Enoch and valued his fellowship so much that he gained immediate promotion to heaven! Have you reached your point of no return – the place with God where both you and he know that this is it, there?s no turning back?

Key Thought

Walking with God in close, open and committed fellowship is the entire purpose of humanity. Discover this and you will never want to turn back from it!

Prayer

Lord, I want to walk with you like Enoch did. Lord, it?s all about you! Please, reveal yourself to me and help me to open up fully to you so that our relationship becomes my first and foremost delight in life.

Discipleship Steps

Developing a relationship with the Lord means allowing him access into the hidden recesses your heart. This level of openness will build an intimacy with him that will prove irresistible both to you and to others. Discipleship is about learning to delight yourself in the Lord. Value your relationship with him before all else and cultivate your communion above every other pursuit of your life. That way you will discover what your whole life is really all about.

The post No Turning Back! appeared first on Colin Dye.

Revealing His Glory

Colin Dye — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:16:59 +0000

Moses did it his way but God revealed to him HIS way. Today, would you pray the prayer: “God, show me your Glory!”

Moses did it his way but God revealed to him HIS way. Today, would you pray the prayer: “God, show me your Glory!”
www.colindye.com

The post Revealing His Glory appeared first on Colin Dye.

The Last Days, a Comparison between Matthew 24 and Revelation 6

Colin Dye — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:51:23 +0000

THE FIRST SEAL:??? DECEPTION

Revelation 6:2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Revelation 6:2?????? I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Matthew 24:5????? For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

THE SECOND SEAL:?? WAR

Revelation 6:3,4 ? ? ? When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ?Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.

Matthew 24:6,7a??? You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

THE THIRD SEAL:??? FAMINE

Revelation 6:5 ? ? ? When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ?Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

Matthew 24:7 There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
THE FOURTH SEAL: ? DEATH

Revelation 6:7,8 ? ? ? When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ? I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Matthew 24:9????? “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

THE FIFTH SEAL: ?? THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Revelation 6:9-11 ? ? ? When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” ?Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

Matthew 24:21,22 ? ? For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now–and never to be equalled again. ?If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

THE SIXTH SEAL:??? THE COSMIC CRISIS (Followed by the Second Coming)

Revelation 6:12-17 ? ? ?I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. ? The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. ? They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ?For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Matthew 24:29,30 ? ? “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘ the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ ? “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
In Matthew 24:31, Jesus goes on to speak about the rapture:

And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

This is what is described in Revelation chapter seven. The removal of the Church is necessary before the Wrath of God is poured out on the earth, which is takes place after the opening of the SEVENTH SEAL (Revelation 8 and? 9).

The post The Last Days, a Comparison between Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 appeared first on Colin Dye.

The Eyes of Your Heart

Colin Dye — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:17:17 +0000

Open the eyes of my heart Lord!

The greatest need a believer has is to receive the Spirit of revelation to know Christ better. This knowledge will give you the spiritual understanding of who Christ is and who you are in Him.
The ?eyes of your heart? must be opened so that you can see the truth and the reality of these spiritual matters. Once they do become real to you, you will begin to live the life of freedom and victory Christ has won for you. Your natural understanding will never grasp these matters but God?s power at work in you will bring you to comprehend what you can hope for and confidently expect through your position in Christ.
Key Thought
You have inherited the riches of God?s glory and grace by being in Christ. This means God?s own enabling power is at work in you so that you can live a life of purpose, authority and victory. With this comes the responsibility of living under the government of God through Christ.
Prayer
Lord, help me to see my glorious position in Christ and to take up my place of authority. I ask You to open up the eyes of my heart so that I can receive this spiritual understanding.
Discipleship Steps
Spiritual truths are precious and costly. It takes time to receive them and assimilate them into your life. And yet without such spiritual experience you cannot progress very far in your Christian life. Give God time to speak to you. Learn to meditate on these truths as you read the Word and pray. Spend a special time in prayer today asking God to help you discover your true position in Christ.
Read: Ephesians 1:15-23

The post The Eyes of Your Heart appeared first on Colin Dye.

A Door open in Heaven

Colin Dye — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:00:34 +0000

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice that I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here and I will show you things that must take place after this’. Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven and One sat on the throne.” Revelation 4:1-2

Stir up the promises

A door opened in Heaven

Your Supernatural Calling

So what does Peter do in response? He rises to the challenge and says to Jesus, “Lord if it is You, command me come to You on the water”.

In this simple statement he gives us three keys to the miraculous. Firstly, he says, “Lord if it is You”. I predict that in this season of Holy Spirit visitation, the greatest miracles will be done not by the leadership but by all God’s people. Therefore each of us must ask Him what He’s calling us to do in this miracle hour.

Experience His passion and power

Being with Jesus should be the overriding motive for all that we do. The glory and beauty of the miraculous is that we find Jesus there and experience His power and His compassion.

The post A Door open in Heaven appeared first on Colin Dye.

Worship in heaven

Colin Dye — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:39:30 +0000

Painting by Beth Larsen entitled "Heavenly Worship"

True worship is God?s eternal heart for all sinful people. Since the dawn of time, the Father has been actively seeking sinful men and women who will be his people and will worship him in spirit and truth.? Even now, he is drawing believers together essentially to worship him, and is still gently persuading us that this is his good-and-perfect will for our lives.
We have considered the insights of Proverbs 8, which seems to show that God has been rejoicing in-and-with himself for all eternity – even before his worship overflowed into creation. This seems to suggest that all creation was made primarily to join in with the pre-existing heavenly worship, and so to enjoy God in his presence forever.
The Scriptures include several other insights which also appear to show that heaven is characterised by true worship and great rejoicing. For example:
????????????? Isaiah 6:1-3 describes the angelic rejoicing which goes on within heaven
????????????? Ezekiel 40-47 suggests that heavenly worship is the destiny of God?s people
????????????? Luke 2:13-14 reveals the great praise of the heavenly host
????????????? Luke 15:7 & 10 show that there is rejoicing in heaven.
??????????????? These insights, however, are dwarfed by the awesome descriptions in the book of Revelation, which make God?s ultimate purposes plain. He is drawing us together to a place of total worship, where we will live together in his perfect presence forever, and will spend eternity rejoicing together in-and-with him . We can say that worship in spirit and truth participates in and anticipates the worship of heaven.
?????????????????Worship in Revelation
??????????????? Heavenly worship is the backdrop and context for all the visions of the book of Revelation. We must take care that we are not so concerned to understand the apostle John?s visions correctly that we overlook what he reveals about the place and priority of heavenly worship.
??????????????? Revelation 4 is the first of John?s descriptions of heavenly worship: verse 2 shows that this recognition and appreciation of worship can come only in-and-through the Spirit, and verses 8-11 reveal that everything in heaven lives to worship God. It is much the same in 5:8-14; 7:9-17; 11:15-19 & 15:3-5.
??????????????? These important passages show that heavenly worship embraces ancient hymns (15:3) and brand new songs (5:9); that it focuses entirely on the person of God (4:8, 11; 5:9, 13; 7:12; 11:17; 15:3 & 16:5); and that it celebrates what God has done, what he is doing, and what he has promised to do (4:11; 5:9-10, 12, 13; 11:17-18 & 15:4).
??????????????? In particular, the book of Revelation reveals that heavenly worship revolves around two great themes of worship:
????????????? The song of creation – Revelation 4:11
????????????? The song of salvation – Revelation 5:9.
These two themes appear constantly throughout Scripture, and both reveal everything about God?s person and character – his power and his love, his grace and his purity, and so on. Because God reveals himself through his mighty acts, we experience him for who he is when we worship him in his presence as Creator and Saviour.
As creation is the essential overflow of God?s own worship, the worship of God as creator has always been at the heart of worship. Creation is a visible evidence of God?s power and might, and a proof of his uniqueness and supremacy. Through creation, the Old Testament people of God were able to recognise that God was the only God, and that other gods were simply impotent idols.
The Jews were called to worship one God because they knew through creation that there was only one God, and this was meant to determine how they lived and served. Many Psalms celebrate God as creator, and his handiwork of creation and divine creativity – seen again in the new heaven and earth – is a major theme of heavenly worship.
Many modern believers fail to sing the song of creation, and neglect to worship God as creator. In their worship, they focus almost entirely upon God?s work of salvation. But the Father?s work of redemption is inseparably linked with his work of creation (he has the right to redeem only because it is his creation) and we cannot appreciate redemption properly without recognising its vital link with creation. We consider this in Knowing the Father.
In the Old Testament, the people of Israel knew that God continually acted to save them from their enemies, from famine, from disease, and so on. They knew that Yahweh was their Saviour, and that their existence as a nation depended upon his mighty acts of deliverance. In particular, their deliverance from slavery in Egypt was basic to their understanding of God, and ?the song of Moses? in Exodus 15:1-21 was their definitive expression of worship to God as Saviour – this is the hymn which Revelation shows is still being sung in heaven.
We know, however, that God has performed an even greater act of salvation for his people than the Passover miracle. At the cross, Jesus became the Saviour of the whole world, delivered us all from the slavery of sin, and decisively defeated our enemy. This has become the theme of countless songs of salvation sung through the ages, and is the theme of the new heavenly songs of Revelation 1:5-6 & 5:9-14.
?Personal and corporate
Revelation?s most telling insight into heavenly worship is its consistent presentation of heavenly worshippers as being both fully individual and completely corporate.
Revelation 5:11-13, for example, reports that ?ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands and thousands? and ?every creature in heaven and on the earth and under the earth? are united in one expression of worship. They retain their distinctive personhood but have been brought by the Spirit to a climax of worshipping oneness.
It is the same in Revelation 7:9-10, which records how ?a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, people and tongue? are standing before the throne and shouting praise to God. Their individual, national, tribal and linguistic differences are still obvious, but they are united in praise and worship to God. They are offering praise and worship which is personal to them, but which is expressed through their Spirit-made corporate oneness.
This, then, is our destiny – to be an eternal worshipper who is thoroughly personal yet fully united with all other worshippers.?? Like the people of Israel in the days of the first temple, we have been drawn by God?s grace towards him. In faith, we have set out on a personal pilgrimage towards him, and have then discovered that God is building us together with the other believers in our area.
Together with them, we are journeying on towards him, learning to worship and serve together, beginning to appreciate our interdependence in the body, struggling at times with the tensions but working to maintain the unity of the Spirit.
And the great goal of eternal, heavenly worship in the intimate presence of God is always before us. It has always been God?s greatest desire for us to enjoy him in the same way, and just as intensely, as we read the persons of God rejoiced in themselves in Proverbs 8.
The God who is personal but corporate, one but more than one, is drawing us into exactly the same eternal enjoyment of personal but corporate rejoicing. In his great grace and mercy, the Father is seeking yet more sinful men and women who will worship him in spirit and truth, and will enjoy his glorious presence forever.

The post Worship in heaven appeared first on Colin Dye.

The End Times Church, the fullness of Christ

Colin Dye — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:55:30 +0000

When we walk in and with the Spirit, we can be sure that he will lead us on to the Church?s glorious destiny which is set out in Ephesians 4. And this destiny is the fullness of Christ. To understand this phrase we need to go to Ephesians 1, where Paul links fullness with Christ?s headship in Ephesians 1:22-23. At the end of a long passage in which he lists truths he wants the Ephesians to know and experience, Paul says that God the Father, ?put all things under Christ?s feet and gave him to be head over all things for the Church?.

The Rapture

This is an outstanding revelation and it is no wonder that Paul wanted his readers to grasp its significance. In effect, he says that Christ who was raised from the dead has been exalted high above all things and been given headship and authority over everything that is, both in this age and in the age to come. But then he adds that God has taken the headship of Christ and given it as a gift to the Church.
This means that the first sphere in which Christ?s headship will be seen and acknowledged is the Church. One day the whole universe will see and acknowledge the headship and authority of Christ but we can experience it now, and more than that, we are called to manifest it to the world, so that the world may see it also and bow before him. But the next question is, how? And Paul answers that in verse 23.

This work is is massive and spans the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. It is a depiction of the second coming of Christ and the apocalypse. The souls of humans rise and descend to their fates, as judged by Christ surrounded by his saints. By Michaelangelo.

Paul links headship with fullness, and says, that the Church over which Christ is the head, ?is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all?. Just as Christ is now head over all things, but the first visible sphere of that headship is the Church, so Christ?s presence which fills the universe, will first be manifested in his body, the Church.
? The fullness, or glorious presence of Christ, can only be seen and manifested where his authority is recognised and acknowledged. The teaching in Ephesians 1 is taken further in Ephesians 4. But to understand the significance of that you must first understand how Paul?s letter is structured. Ephesians, as many of Paul?s letters, is divided into two main parts. First, Ephesians 1 to Ephesians 3, deals with spiritual truth, namely our position and possessions in Christ. Then, from Chapter 4 onwards, Paul turns to the practical section of his letter and calls us to walk in accordance with these spiritual truths.
? The second section of Ephesians begins at Ephesians 4:1 with these words, ?I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called?. Paul is telling us that we must work out in practice our spiritual calling and live out these truths practically.
?? This means that his teaching in Ephesians 4:11-16 is a picture of what the Church is meant to look like, on earth, and it carries within it the promise that the plan of God for the Church will be fulfilled. This is what the end-time church will look like, and it will happen before the return of Christ. Jesus is not coming back for a tired, worn out, sinful, dead and useless Church. He is coming back for a glorious Church in which his headship is fully acknowledged and in which his presence is fully manifested.
? This is the vision of the Church that every believer, every leader and every worker in the body of Christ should have in mind. It is a vision of the finished product, the glorious destiny of God?s precious Church. Jesus said he was going to build his Church and he meant it. He is not going to leave the job half-done, but is going to bring his body to complete maturity before the end of the age. And this means we are going to fulfil the work that God has given us to do. We are going to successfully evangelise the world and disciple the nations.
The Spirit will complete what he began at Pentecost. He will establish an effective, functioning church so that a mature bride is ready when Jesus returns. Jesus promised that he would build his Church, and Ephesians 4 shows that the building will be completed.
?As Christ?s body, the Church is God?s representative in the world. Christ?s work on earth can only be carried out through his body. When it is not a mature, strong and healthy body, the work of Christ is not done. But when the body is strong, and growing towards maturity, God?s work on earth can be accomplished.
?As we have seen, Ephesians 4:11-16 describes the Church attaining the fullness of Christ. This means that, one day, the Church will perfectly reveal Christ in all his fullness on earth. As we have also seen, this underlines Ephesians 1:23, where the Church is described as ?the fullness of him?.
Jesus has given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to his Church to knit God?s people together for the work of service. It is this which builds up Christ?s body, and these leaders are meant to go on with their work, building up the Church, until four things occur.
?1.?Unity
The Church will reach the unity of the faith. This is not the unity of the Spirit which began at the cross and already exists, but unity in the essential doctrines of the faith and a mature understanding of Christ.
This does not mean that all Christians will believe exactly the same things about everything, but rather that there will be strong unity in all the essentials of the faith throughout the whole Church.
?2.??Full knowledge
The mature Church will reach a full knowledge of the Son of God. This is not an improved version of our knowledge; it is full knowledge. And this full knowledge will mean that we will know Christ and experience him fully in our lives.
In Philippians 3:8-16, Paul longs to know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the depth of his sufferings. And in Philippians 2:5-11, he urges us to make the mind of Christ our own. He offers a roller-coaster description of the Son of God who emptied himself, took the form of a slave, accepted death, and was raised so high that all beings everywhere should bend the knee to him.
The Church begins to rise towards this full knowledge of the Son when it moves beyond wanting power for its own sake, and longs to think and be like Jesus – when we yearn to share his power and his suffering. We can be sure that, sometime soon, we will experience this full reality in every area of church life.
?3.??Full stature
The mature, end-time church will form the perfect human; we will be of full stature, fully mature. We will no longer be children, tossed one way or another; instead we will be strong and mature in Christ. Despite what some people say, the Church is not dying out; it is not fading away – it is coming of age!
The Church we read about in the New Testament is the infant Church. The end-time Church will be a mature, adult, vigorous Church. If the early church was able to achieve so much, what will the end-time church accomplish?
If the biblical promises mean anything, we can surely expect that the coming biblical Church will experience a massive outpouring of the Spirit which will lead to effective world-wide evangelism. We will take the gospel to all nations. God?s glory will be seen throughout the earth. There will be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus.
4.?Christ?s fullness
As we have seen, Ephesians 4:13 follows on from Ephesians 1:22-23 to show that the mature Church will be filled with the fullness of Christ himself. This means we will be so full of Jesus and his Spirit that we can accurately represent him in the world – genuinely reveal his glory – and achieve everything he has asked. He will manifest himself fully in the Church, so much so that it will be as if he was actually on this earth, living in his body. Without exaggerating the point, I believe that Jesus is coming first in his Church before he comes back for his Church. I don?t mean that there are two second comings! But simply that the Spirit will so manifest Christ?s presence in the end-time church that it will be as if Christ was already here. Surely that is what it means to be his body on the earth.
This biblical, mature Church will be full of his power, his wisdom, his love and his authority. It will show the world the fullness of his grace and holiness. The glory of God will be fully manifest both in us and though us.
The Christ-full Church of the end-time will be a body of credible, active witnesses throughout the entire world, in every nation and culture. This does not mean that we have to wait until then before we become effective witnesses of Christ. We can and must begin to work for this now, in our lives and in our churches, as we prepare for and look forward to the manifestation of the end-time church. This is surely a vision worth working and praying towards, a dream worth living and dying for. Even the smallest step towards it will be extremely valuable.
As we live by the truth and in love, we will grow completely into Christ – who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together. Every joint will add its own strength for each individual part to work according to its function. So the Church will keep on growing, until it has been fully and finally built in love.

The post The End Times Church, the fullness of Christ appeared first on Colin Dye.