The Sifting is Nearly Over!

 Dear Precious Saints of the Most High.

I am no longer a watchwoman. I have been reassigned as a Scribe of the Lord, to finish the writing work He has assigned me. Therefore, though I am familiar with the prophetic signs around us, I am not studying them in detail, nor are they my focus. I do not know when the rapture is. If the Lord tells me, I will be sure and let you know!  I have said that I thought it was this year. I am not sure anymore. I will at least say this: We cannot be years away. That is based on both the signs and the Scripture--two very reliable things. Not on anyone's "word", vision, calculation, or dream.

I no longer watch watchmen videos or listen to dreams and visions and "Words" supposedly from the Lord.  None of them have come to pass, and after awhile, one starts to wonder if continuing to do so is pleasing to the Lord. This has been a huge struggle for me over the past year, but I am honestly now in perfect peace with my Savior. He will come when He comes. It is up to us to watch and pray, not speculate and predict. 

Along those lines, the Lord pressed (repeatedly) on me this week to make the post. So, here I am. I think it is one of my most important posts.  

I'm sensing from the Lord that we are entering a time of great sifting and pruning right before He returns. In fact, I believe the Lord is using all these false predictions and passing high watch dates to sift the body of Christ. The more time and predictions pass with great disappointment, the more people fall away from the Lord and head back into the world. Each passing "rapture" date sends more and more frustrated people turning away from God and heading back to their sinful lives. They give up on the rapture, start believing that it isn't true, get mad at the watchmen and even at God and fall away. Or equally as bad, they turn and embrace a false doctrine instead. This happened to Scotty Clark. You may remember him as the man who discovered the Revelation 12 sign. He received so much publicity, so much attention and accolades... traveling everywhere, presenting his findings.. that when the date passed for the Rapture, he fell away into some false doctrine. Sad. 

But this is precisely what the Lord is doing right now. Think about the following scenario: 

A man and woman are about to get married. They are at the church as people start to drift in for the ceremony. The bride is in her chamber getting dressed, surrounded by her bridesmaids. The maid of honor says to her.

"You are so lucky! Bruce is such a wonderful man. You're going to be so happy!"

And the Bride responds. "Yes! Can you believe how much he is worth? Why, after today, I'll be living in the most expensive house in Malibu. I'll have maids and servants! And I can have an entire wardrobe of the finest, most fashionable clothing from Paris!"

Several of the bridesmaids gaze at her with envy.

The maid of honor stares at her quizzically. "But what about Bruce? I hear he's one of the kindness and most generous men in the city."

The bride waves her hand through the air. "Oh yes. Of course. He's a real gem. But did you see the car he drives? He has an entire fleet of them, and he's offered to buy me whatever I want." She twirls around in her wedding dress. "And vacations anywhere I want to go!" 

Now, let's say the groom inadvertently overheard the conversation. What do you think he will do? Why would any man want to marry a woman who is marrying him for what he can give her, what kind of extravagance he can provide?  It's obvious from her words that the Bride doesn't really love him. 

Yet, isn't this how some Christians treat Jesus. They want only what He can give them, healing, money, job, relationships, and then regarding the rapture: mansions, a glorified body, crowns, privileges, living in a paradise etc.  

Jesus is paying very close attention to how His children react to the continuous frustrations and seeming delays in His coming. Which ones are only in it for selfish reasons, and therefore fall away, and which ones truly love Him and only want to be with Him?  

What do you think the bride above would say if someone offered her to either keep all the wealth and luxuries her groom was offering but without him, or to have him with none of the wealth? 

The Lord does not want a duplicitous Bride. He wants a Bride who loves Him with all her heart to the point that nothing matters but being with Him. 

So the sifting has started and continues until only a small remnant of believers remains, the Bride who is worthy to be raptured. (For Scripture proof, refer to The parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25, and the parable of the wicked servant in Matthew 24:48-51f the wicked servant) 

However there is also Pruning happening at the same time. The Pruning is the preparation of the Bride.  In Esther, chapter 2, we learn that Esther had to go through an entire year of preparation before she went before the King. Perhaps we, also, need some preparation? Perhaps we need some attitude adjustments, a look at how ugly our bad temper is, a stark realization of our own selfish motives, an exposure of an idol we didn't even know we had-- a snip here, a cut there, as our Lord removes the twigs that aren't producing fruit, but instead are keeping the vine from growing to its full potential.  

So, if you're going through some rough times, consider it all joy!  It means the Lord is getting you in ship-shape condition for the rapture/wedding! 

Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
John 15:2 AMPC

It is better to be pruned than sifted. Pruning has a good result, but sifting could end up with you falling through the sieve back into the world.  So make the best of this time as we wait for Jesus to call us home. Instead of focusing on when the rapture is, focus on allowing the Holy Spirit to prune you into someone to whom the Lord will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord."  

I leave you with this very important Passage from Malachi 3

Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name.
And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.
Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him.

So many things in this passage!  In what day will the Lord openly declare those of His followers who truly fear and love Him?  Another hint about "That Day" is that Jesus will Publicly recognize them.  Which means as it says in the next verse, people will know who served God and who didn't. How will they know? Because Jesus publicly and openly declared who they were. And how does He do that?  The Rapture.