Pentecost is so attractive! The work of the Spirit draws people, and here we are!

Now we are facing death.

It is over the issue of suffering and death to self that the current Charismatic movement will be divided. A remnant will go the way of the cross. The majority will seek to go forth under their own guidance and attempt to use their spiritual gifts to save the world. Such are very impatient with the subjective concerns and writhing on the cross of those who have returned to Christ, and often slander them. Such slander is part of the sufferings of Christ that the remnant shall endure.

But the majority will continue on, rejoicing because some of the leaders of government are joining them. Antichrist will capitalize on the self-centeredness of the Christians. The self-willed Christians will support the Antichrist system, thus becoming the False Prophet.

While both Antichrist and the False Prophet will each be epitomized by single individuals I believe, the spirit of Antichrist and the spirit of the False Prophet dwell in the heart of the self-willed person.

Antichrist is self-will in the political realm. The False Prophet is self-will in the religious realm. The two will join forces in the future.

The Pharisees, priests, scribes, and elders of Jesus' day were self-willed. They did not murder Christ because they wanted to indulge in the lusts of the flesh but because they were envious. In their envy they did not hesitate to employ the services of that former representative of the Antichrist system, Pontius Pilate.

Self-willed religious people will join self-willed secular people in the last days. I think in some instances the self-willed Christians will join with the Antichrist forces and drive the remnant from the major cities of the earth, scorning and persecuting them. It has happened before in history!

It is the False Prophet who strengthens and helps Antichrist and brings him to the pinnacle of power. But finally the secular will destroy the religious.

The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. (Revelation 17:16—NIV)

The main issue of the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, as distinguished from the first two works of grace, is our will, our obedience to God the Father.

The Kingdom of God is the doing of God's will in the earth as it is performed in Heaven.

When we first receive Christ our fleshly personality is left intact.

When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit our fleshly personality remains intact, as we can see from the behavior of Pentecostal people.

Now God is ready to change our fleshly personality. How does He do this? By bringing numerous situations into our life that tear down our self-will and personal ambition. God knocks out the props from under us until we come up out of the wilderness of judgment leaning on our Beloved.

To be continued.