The Open Vision and the Third Seal Famine

We are in a famine today. It is not a famine of food and drink, for we are literally fat from eating an abundance of food. No, the famine is spiritual; the bread we are lacking is the bread of life, the truth, the word of God. God did say that He “will  send a famine…not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD (Yahweh)” [1].

What do you mean, God? We have got churches on every corner. Everywhere you turn a preacher is talking about the things of the Bible. How could there be a spiritual famine? How could the people be lacking the word of God?

There is nothing new under the sun. It was the same in Samuel and David’s day. “And the word of Yahweh was precious in those days; there was no open vision” [2]. The word of God was “rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.” They had priests and men of the cloth, but the word of God was a rare thing in the earth; not many had the Spirit in a reality.

And today we have the same condition. We are in a state of spiritual famine, for very few speak God’s mind, God’s thoughts. He says to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and yet, the preachers are one trick ponies, speaking about Christ, but never allowing Christ to speak through them. Each denomination has a pet doctrine that they have hammered into their followers; nothing new is breaking forth. If His Spirit were within the pastors and preachers, then they would speak what is on His mind, which is His kingdom and His righteousness.

But you never hear anything about it. Not really. The word says that God is “bringing many sons unto glory,” that Christ will allow the over comers to sit with Him “in His throne” [3].  But they just speak of “going to heaven”  and staying there, I suppose. But the word says that He is coming back to earth to set up His kingdom, His literal government, and He is bringing us with Him.

At His return He promises to resurrect the “dead in Christ,” giving them new spiritual bodies. And those of His who are alive when He returns will be given a new spiritual immortal body [4]. And we are going to be with Him as He separates the sheep nations from the goat nations.

Get the scene. He is sitting on His throne here on earth, having “come in His glory. And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” Yes, He makes a distinction; He is so politically incorrect. All ethnos, all nations are gathered [5].

So we have sheep nations on His right hand and goat nations on His left. The question that should be on our minds at this juncture is, Who is who? Which one is which? Who are the blessed sheep nations, and which nations are the unblessed on His left.

For He says to those on His right, “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Why them and not the other nations? “For I was hungry and you gave me meat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in. Naked, and you clothed me…” And the sheep nations ask Him, When did we do all that? And He says, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me.”

The goat nations did not do this. Therefore, they did not show mercy to Him. They have their reward (v. 46). Who are these sheep nations blessed by the King? Just look around and see who reached out in Christian love down through the centuries and you will have your answer. Who are the generous and charitable nations that have reached out and helped the other nations? You make the call.

But the preachers never speak of these things that fill His mind and thoughts. They issue shallow platitudes about this passage in Matthew that they heard from someone, if they comment at all. No wonder He said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts” [6].

A Spiritual Famine in the Land

No, we have a famine in the land, a famine of hearing the true words and thoughts of God. We have come to a point in time that signals the last days are upon us. His sheep nations are prosperous but have grown fat and “have forgotten the Rock from whence they are hewn.” And because of this apostate condition, God has sent a spiritual famine upon the earth. Before in the old days, it was a literal physical famine that God would send to His people when they strayed to serve other gods. Now it is a spiritual dearth that is enveloping the land.

There is “no open vision.” The Hebrew word for “open” in this passage is translated in other places as “bursting forth,” signifying a “overflowing”  (Prov. 3: 9-10). If we honor the LORD (Yahweh), then our presses will “burst out with new wine.” The word of God via His Spirit will burst out, will overflow our hearts and minds–if we trust in Him (v. 5) and keep His commandments (v. 1). If we “fear God”–if we have reverential awe of Him and His greatness and power, then the wine presses of our lives will “burst forth with new wine.” The new wine is the new doctrine, the new teachings that His Spirit is putting forth today. The famine will cease when we awaken to Him as the scripture truly depicts Him and not as the old ossified traditional teachings describe Christ.

When we get it right with the correct concepts of Him in line with His thinking, then we will not be blind. We will be able to see that Yahweh is the Savior [7], and that He was in the man Christ, saving us through Him [8]. When we get rid of the old leaven concepts about Him and begin to walk and think His true thoughts, then the famine will be lifted, and His Spirit will break out and overflow us and be abundant in our lives.

The Third Seal

We are in the midst of the third seal on the book of the earth’s end time future. We are in a famine as it was in Samuel and David’s day. There are many false teachers speaking words, but not the words of Yahweh. The third seal speaks of famine which leads to the fourth seal, Death. No word of God = no life = death [ 9].

These teachers and preachers of false doctrines are the ones that the apostles and prophets warned us of incessantly. They are either sincerely ignorant or willfully ignorant; God is their judge. But we are admonished to turn away from them, for they are “blind leaders of the blind.”

Why are they blind? “For Yahweh has poured out upon you the spirit of sleep, and has closed your eyes.” Who are these spiritually asleep? “The prophets…and their seers.” The preachers are asleep, put in that condition by God Himself (Isa. 29: 10-14).

Consequently, the whole vision, plan and purpose of God is a sealed book (v. 11). And those whom God has blinded with a spiritual sleep, they can’t read what is in God’s sealed book of what is taking place and what will take place shortly on the earth. We must put the sealed book of Isaiah 29 with the sealed book of Revelation 6.

Why are they blind and asleep and can’t read the sealed book? Because their worship of God is based on man made concepts and precepts and doctrines and teachings (v. 13). And because of this, we have a famine “of the hearing of God’s word” about His real vision and purpose.

But some will shake themselves out of this sleep and awaken to Him in a reality. They will build the old waste places and will with Him at their side administer in this earth a new beginning in His kingdom.  We must ask ourselves, Are we willing to pay the price to become one of His future kings?     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

 

1. Amos 8: 11

2. I Samuel 3: 1 KJV; NKJV

3. Rom. 8: 18-30; Rev. 3: 21

4. I Cor. 15: 42-54

5. Matt. 25: 31-46

6. Isa. 55: 8

7. Isa. 42: 3, 11

8. II Cor. 5: 19

9. Rev. 6: 5-8

Manifestation of the Sons of God–Just Who Are These Immortal Ones?

Immortal ones? Walking around the earth? Interacting with regular human beings? Yes. This post apocalyptic scenario is vividly painted in the pages of the Holy Bible. When read with fresh eyes, the Bible speaks of Christ the King’s return to set up His government, His kingdom. This is the plan of God for this earth and its inhabitants.

The scene painted in the “Prologue” of this book is the aftermath of the destruction of man’s attempt to rule himself without God’s direction. It describes the end of this current age. It is the culmination of human history. It is the final curtain of a sad era of man ruling man and the beginning of the government that God will set up here on earth.

This new government is a kingdom, ruled by the King called Jesus in English speaking lands and called Yahshua in Hebrew. This kingdom ruled by its anointed King is the apex of man’s historical development.

For the King upon His return from exile not many years hence will usher in a thousand years of uninterrupted peace and prosperity for all who will serve Him during that time. The scriptures of truth state that He will not be a despot, clinging to power, but rather a compassionate monarch. For He will share His power with a chosen few of His servants. These will have overcome the treachery of Satan’s temptations and have walked the lonesome valley of His sufferings and have been found worthy to partake of His “divine nature.”

For those thus prepared will be changed, as the apostle Paul said, “in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump.” Their change will be from mortal to immortal, from an old decaying earthly body, to a resplendent spiritual body, immortal like Christ’s body after His resurrection.

Many followers of Christ will receive this new spiritual body, but only a few thousand will be chosen to sit with Him on His throne. Only a few will be deemed worthy by Him to rule in His kingdom. Only a few will have Christ formed in them. Only a few thousand will have grown spiritually to attain to this “high calling of God in Christ.” Only a few thousand of all the hundreds of millions of professing Christians will have studied to show themselves approved unto God for this high office.

This book The Royal Destiny of the Chosen Ones is ultimately for those answering this high calling, but it is still useful for all Christians. For we all who love Him should know His plan and purpose and pull together as yoke fellows to help bring His plan and purpose to full fruition. For all who love Him have a wonderful place in His kingdom. And He expects all of us to study and know what He is accomplishing in the earth.

And His great accomplishment is this: He is multiplying Himself through the creation of a body of many sons and daughters. These will be the ruling monarchs in His soon coming kingdom. His kingdom/government is the gospel, the good news. And sitting on His throne along side Him will be a few thousand over comers, who will rule and reign with Him. They are an integral part of His kingdom. Thus, they are a part of the good news. This vision of the kingdom is the pinnacle of human achievement and development. It is nothing less than the glorification of a few thousand humans, who with great humility will serve the King as His viceroys in His newly established kingdom that will be instituted in the far corners of the globe during the Thousand Year Reign.

Who Are They?

They are the “generation not appointed unto death,” taken from the Christians who survive the Great Tribulation Period and are left standing when Christ sets down His feet in Jerusalem to begin His 1,000 year reign. They shall not taste death, but will be given immortal bodies upon His return and will be glorified by God and placed upon His  throne alongside Him.

The Bible speaks of these often, using many different tags. They are the “many sons unto glory” (Heb. 2: 10). They are who the whole creation is waiting for unbeknownst–the glorified manifested sons of God (Rom. 8: 17-19).  They are the humans predestined “to be conformed to the image of His Son (8: 29). They are the called, justified, and glorified of God (v. 30). They are God’s elect, His chosen ones for this honor (v. 33).

They are the 100 fold fruit bearers of the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13). Some that heard the word/seed of the kingdom brought forth 30 fold, and some bore 60 fold fruit. But these future kings brought forth 100 fold fruit.

They are the firstfruits of God’s harvest and follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Rev. 14: 4).

In spiritual growth, they are in the Holy of Holies, sitting with Christ on the mercy seat. They, like the Son of God, are the Word made flesh and dwelling amongst the mortals of the earth. They are the ultimate over comers of the seven church ages (Rev. 2 and 3). They are the five fold ministry officers of God–His apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors,and teachers for these last days.

they will herald in the newly established Kingdom of Heaven, proving their authority as Christ and the early apostles did by working miracles. They will be the healers of this soon to be shattered and destroyed earth.

These immortal ones will be God’s ambassadors to the four corners of the earth, bringing His administration, judging in righteousness, according to God’s Spirit that will fully reside in them.

In a word, they will be the saviors of the world, for it will not be they that live, but Christ that lives in them fully. As the prophet Obadiah saw, “And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S” (v. 21).

This volume is an attempt to introduce to whomsoever would know our future rulers, for that is what they are. They are no less that the Father’s sons, His princes, who will set things in order after tribulation. They will do this under the direction of the Spirit with supernatural power that none can gainsay.

We now see “through a glass darkly.” With awakened eyes the glass we look through prisms the past, projecting future events from factual patterns on the sacred tapestry of Adam and his offspring. “That which has been is now, and that which is to be has already been, and God requires the things of the past” (Eccl. 3: 15). Study the seed and you can predict the harvest.

As we study the scriptures of truth, unencumbered by the damp stale blankets of denominational dogma, we look with unfettered eyes on the word as sacred literature, to be read, enjoyed, and to be enlightened from. No longer is it a closed book, venerated yet misunderstood by the clergy and laymen, who labor under the cruel weight of the chains of error.

By faith now we anoint our eyes with the eye salve of truth and see into the near future when the sons of God come upon the scene–our scene, our day, our time. Past is prologue to the future. The immortal Christ spoke 40 days after His resurrection things concerning the kingdom of God. And then He ascended. He promised his followers that they would do greater works than what He had done. He was the Seed; we sons and daughters are the harvest.

This book asks you, the reader, Could you be one of these future monarchs? Would you at least desire to help them get there? This volume attempts to share the light that I have been given to shorten the trek on the sons’ road to immortality. I hope that it will be used as a primer for the future princes and princeses of God–our future rulers in His glorious kingdom.

Nothing less that the coronation of thousands of kings–that is God’s will. That is His eternal purpose. That is His vision for man on earth upon His return not many years hence. He said that this is what He thinks about, what His mind is full of. A few have been chosen for this honor. Just who are these chosen ones?