The Wedding Invitation

A generation raised like John the Baptist
dwelling in the midst of the wilderness,
eating nothing but honey and wild locusts,

the violent rejection of worldly delicacies.
This is the wrestle of Jacob, the antiphony
of man's struggle with God, the final blessing

given to those who refuse to let go of Him.
What comfort can be found in food or clothing,
what satisfaction comes from simple distractions

when the Man my heart longs for is absent?
Have you not heard? Now is the time for fasting,
to set aside the pleasures of an age fast passing,

to let go of every attempt to make the best
of life in His absence, settling for nothing less
than Him back in the Garden. It is the time set

from the beginning, appointed from the conception
of all creation, the transition from a world fallen
back to perfection, God dwelling and walking among

men once more. This is the voice of one crying
in the wilderness, whose eyes are alive
with fire in the light of the One coming,

the call for repentance, to make new your wine skins,
to renew your mind and take in the truth of His Revelation.
Awaken, all that slumber, for this is the cry of the watchmen

calling out to His Bridesmaids! Is not obedience
better than sacrifice? Or is not rebellion as the sin
of witchcraft? Has the Lord spoken from the dawn

of existence, that He will not be faithful to perform
His Word to the fullest? Or will He not speedily avenge
the trespasses enacted upon those who cry out to Him

day and night? As vipers brood in their nests
and serpents justify themselves by their tongues,
do not say to yourself, 'I am a son of God', and yet

do nothing. For is not every tree known by its fruit?
Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, lest
when He comes, He cuts you in two and appoints you

your share with the hypocrites! Rend your hearts,
and not your garments, for He is seeking such
to worship Him in spirit and in truth! Gather

yourselves together as one in His Tabernacle,
as the folds of a flock are gathered together
into the greenest pasture under the watchful

gaze of the Shepherd, for He is calling. His voice
goes out like a reaper upon the fields ripe for
harvest, that will not return until it has accomplished

all that it was sent out to accomplish, separating
the tares to be burned in the fire from the wheat
to be gathered into His storehouse - those that agree

with Him, that seek His face above all else, that come
under the covering of the blood of His Son and love
Him in obedience, that agree with His perfect plan

for the hour, that can only be known by the power
of His Holy Spirit revealing the heart of the Father
to the children, and thus it is written, 'Seek first

the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness,
and then all else will be added.' His Word is a sharp
two-edged sword that cuts to the heart,

that is not deceived by appearances nor is led
astray by flattering speech, and He will not relent
until He has spent His vengeance upon sin in all

the earth, until He treads the armies of the son
of perdition like one treads the fruit of the vine
in a wine press, until He is covered in the blood

of His enemies, of all that attempt to stand against
Him, and He will render to the nations the fullness
of their desire. His final judgements are the pinnacle

of His mercy and the perfect expression of His love,
and His vengeance drips with justice. Like a dove
alighting upon the head of the Righteous One,

He is bringing the nations to the Valley of Decision,
and those that choose repentance, their faithfulness
will be accredited to them for righteousness,

for they have heard the Word of the Lord and obeyed.
Just as the seed of Israel grew in the midst of Egypt,
a nation not her own, when the time was ripe,

God raised up Aaron and Moses to lead His people,
to proclaim judgement on the oppression of Pharaoh
and all those who came under his leadership, who agreed

with him as their king. With the pangs of childbirth,
He delivered His people with all signs and wonders
at the word of His witnesses, a violent separation

of nation from nation, and this is but a picture
of the fullness of the global departure, the hour
that is finally upon us, the time of the harvest.

So come out from this fallen culture, all you
who call upon His name! And woe to my soul,
to say one thing, but do another! (Lord,

keep me from growing haughty, lest I cease
listening in fear and trembling. Establish
Your Word in me, that from Your house

I may never depart.) For those who proclaim,
'I stand perfectly', are already falling, who say
'I see clearly', are blind, and who claim

to have no need of a Physician, are dying.
Now is the time to spend your desire on
Him, to set aside the empty temptings

of a comfortable life in this age, to buy gold refined
in the fire, to store up treasure without measure in
heavenly storehouses, where neither moth nor rust

destroy. Your voice is a trumpet, and your words
are the abundance of your heart spoken into existence.
Your eye is a lamp, and your tongue is a rudder

that steers your desire. Come out of her, all you
who have yet a little strength, who do not
deny His name, and who have kept His Word!

Blessed are you who are found giving food
to His servants in due season, whom
He finds faithful with the little given unto

you! For Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen,
and has surely become a haunt of demons!
Her sins have reached up to heaven, and

God has remembered them! Render to her
double! For she who has exalted herself above
the heavens shall drink from wine of the wrath

of her fornications! Behold, He is coming,
clothed in the splendor of His glory, burning
with fire to baptize the whole earth in,

to utterly destroy the chaff and the stubble,
to cast out of His Kingdom all that offends,
but to refine with fire every heart humble

as gold is refined seven times over in the fire,
to shine forth in glory like the firmaments
in the heavens forever and ever, and to minister

to the Lord of Hosts in His Holy Temple.
So blow the trumpet in Zion! Consecrate
a fast, call a sacred assembly, sanctify

the congregation! Let the Bridegroom
go out from His chamber, and
the Bride from her dressing room!

And let the priests weep between
the porch and the altar, saying,
'Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not

give Your heritage to reproach!'
For the Lord is a jealous God and
He will not settle for second

place. He is shaking the nations
to bring all peoples to a final decision,
for He is coming to rule with a rod of iron,

seated on the throne in New Jerusalem,
restoring His creation back into perfection,
and all have been invited to the wedding.

Those that choose to attend, who spend all
their desire preparing their hearts for His arrival,
who clothe themselves in wedding apparel,

are choosing an eternity spent in the presence
of His infinite beauty, reaping the rewards
of making themselves ready, of setting aside

their will and voluntarily choosing His now,
while there is still time. They will be found
eating at His banqueting table, inquiring of

Him at His temple forever in an infinite
expression of the extension of His perfect
Kingdom, a joyous celebration of worship

and adoration where fascination never
ends. This is the Bride emerging from
the midst of seven divided churches

who has given herself for the preparation
of the marriage supper, but do not fall
into deception, for not all who are called,

answer, and not all who are invited care
to prepare themselves for the ceremony.
These are those who refuse to heed

the voice of His servants, who choose
to continue life as usual, who value
their own plans for the future

over His, who seize His servants, beat
them and treat them spitefully. These
are the five foolish Bridesmaids found

without oil in their lamps at the cry
of the watchmen in the midnight
hour, who arise to meet the coming

Groom without any preparation for His
return, but on whom the door is shut
and they are stuck in outer darkness,

where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth for all eternity. So do not be mistaken,
for even now you are choosing your position

in, or out of, His Kingdom, forever.
Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven
is at hand! Make straight the way

of the Lord! The fields are ripe for Harvest!
He has slaughtered His fatted calf and oxen!
He is calling all to climb His Holy mountain!

But will He really find faith on the earth
when He returns? He who has ears
to hear, let him hear! For the time is near!