​Just suppose you are a sincere disciple of the Lord, but you are troubled by some of the things you see in your own congregation or in your own denominational wing of Christianity. Do you do nothing?  Do you attempt reforms?  Do you leave?  SHOULD you leave? If you do leave, where could you go?

 

Scripture actually addresses this problem for our day in Church history.  The matter can be a great personal struggle. But if God draws our attention to His advice in His Word, we can feel an increased confidence in the answers we seek.

 

 

COME OUT...MY PEOPLE

 

It is likely no secret to any of us that all people in a congregation or denomination do not give evidence of total commitment to the Lord and spiritual things. Perhaps a congregation doesn't even think that is necessary!  "Just be good, and everything will be alright!"  But the true disciple of Jesus knows (or at least "feels") that that is not sufficient, nor is it the correct thought. Sects which we are in may not reflect     our understandings. Is that important? 

 

Jesus foretold that the time would eventually come when his disciples would have to separate themselves from the established groups of those just casually or mistakenly claiming to be his disciples.  In his parable of the Wheat and Tares (Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43), Jesus points out that Christianity, during most of the time between his two advents, would be a MIXTURE of true disciples ("wheat") and counterfeit disciples ("tares").  He carefully cautions us against any attempts to separate the two groups -- knowing that our discernment can only be faulty, and we would likely root out some of the true while trying to root out the false!

 

But the parable does look forward to our day -- "the harvest."  And Jesus clearly shows that a separation would not only now be proper, but must happen.  He also points out that it will happen NOT because we become wise enough to distinguish which are wheat and which are tares, but that some kind of "angels" would be equipped to do the work of causing the separating -- the harvesting work.

 

These angels are not spirit beings.  They are actually sincere and informed Christians. And they will do the separating work, not directly, and NOT because of their own wisdom or decisions, but because they will be spreading newly-clarified truths which will automatically do the separating work.  This is shown more clearly in Matthew 24:31 where it is shown that it is a "great trumpet" which is used to gather the wheat.      

A "trumpet" is a loud (in the sense of widespread and clear) and timely message given so that disciples can be informed and warned at certain times about what the Lord is doing.  This same symbolism is evidenced in Revelation where a series of seven timely "trumpets" (messages) are given to the Church during the entire Christian Age.  The "trumpet" of Matthew 24 is the seventh trumpet in that Revelation series. It is the "last trump" -- the final revealing message of truth to the Church before the Church     is finished and changed to its spiritual glory.  One of this trumpet's objectives is the separation of wheat from tares. 

 

This parable makes it Scripturally certain that leaving a congregation or denomination IS appropriate once the "Harvest" arrives.  But the concept is enhanced further in the words of Revelation 18:4, 5.  It explicitly commands, "Come out of her, my people."  It then continues to explain that the entire massive structure of Christian belief and organization (mystically called "Babylon") is rotten to the core in God's eyes -- just as was Judaism at the first advent.  God overthrew His own established religion which had functioned for over 18 centuries in Israel!  But notice the "harvest" of the parable with care: HIS PEOPLE (true disciples) ARE YET IN HER ("Babylon") when this call is made!  The wheat are, at that point, yet living in a field full of tares!  And the Lord WANTS "His people" to come out.  

 

He calls to them with loud and mighty truths (a trumpet) which will appeal to the standards of the Holy Spirit with which these disciples have been begotten. The true sheep (the "wheat" of the parable) will recognize the True Shepherd's voice and will follow it.  They WILL, if they are being faithful, COME OUT to the freedoms and joys now available -- and not be captive to the restraints of a corrupt and erroneous religious surrounding.  

 

But where? As Jesus expresses it, they will come to where the carcass is. The carcass represents the body of truth which attracts the birds because it is desired and abundant food. (Matthew 24:28; Luke 17:37)  We must flock to the provender the Lord has now provided. How do we do this?  We will shortly look at this.

 

 

WHY EXIT?

 

Obviously, the main reason to exit is that God commands it!  But why does He command it? In this "harvest" period of the age, during which God is finishing the selecting and developing of His personal "family," to whom He intends to grant His very own Divine nature, He is concluding the work of traditional Christianity.  He is preparing for the new age of the establishment of His Kingdom on earth.  He is, just as in the first advent with Judaism, about to DESTROY what He considers a corrupt system of religion which He feels is in no way truly representing Him any more.  As Jesus said in the parable, God intends to "burn the tares." This DOES NOT mean destruction of the people who ARE tares or counterfeits!   (They will end up being blessed!)  It means He intends to destroy the teachings and institutions (the "bundles") which have promoted the development of counterfeit Christians and bound them by false catechisms and creeds. This all must be gone before the Peaceable Kingdom begins its operation. The results of the deceptions of the adversary must all be wiped out before the truths will be accepted by this poor, deluded world.  This is the entire reason for the "Time of Trouble such has never been since there was a nation."  (Daniel 12:1 and Matthew 24:21)                         

 

The Revelation 18:4 text says that "His people" should come out because He doesn't want them to reflect the sins of the old systems, and He doesn't want them to be hurt by the confusion of the plaguing He intends to force on old "Christendom."  In other words, God wants His true saints to be reflections of Him and His thinking as the old "Christian" ideas and institutions crumble. He wants His people to continue to be faithful witnesses to the goodness and greatness of His character -- even though He will be destroying the very religious systems that have claimed His name.

 

In each of the messages to the seven historical Church periods shown in Revelation 2 and 3, we find the words, "Hear what the spirit says to the Churches."  This is a constant reminder throughout the age (including its "harvest") that faithful disciples will always be LISTENING to what the Lord wants of us in our own particular time.  When we look at the last period of the Church (Laodicea -- the "harvest" Church of Revelation 3:14-22), we find that God wants us to abandon "lukewarmness."  He wants us to be fervent (hot) in representing Him, and to give "the cold shoulder" to ideas and situations which He wants to spit out of His mouth! As He said in Chapter 18, He wants us to COME OUT of the old contaminations of Christian doctrine and practice. May He help us to HEAR!  

 

Note also that one of the promises to listening saints in the harvest Church is that Jesus will "come in to dine with them (the saints), and he (the one who hears) with me (Jesus)." THIS dining is the food which Jesus elsewhere called "the carcass " to which the birds would gather when they exited the confusions of institutions which mistakenly consider themselves the Lord's.

 

 

WHERE CAN WE GO?

 

Some won't leave.  In Luke 12:48 they are characterized as servants who don't really know what God wants.  Those who DO leave, but who yet do not give up their "lukewarmness" are characterized as servants who DO know what the Master wants, but they don't give it to him!  (Luke 12:47)  In each case the Lord will supply corrective "stripes" to help these disciples clean their resumés.  But those who do leave and who are zealous (Revelation 3:19) will be blessed with the available feasting. In the end, they will receive "a full reward."  (II John 8)

 

SO, WHERE DO WE GO if we leave? Going to another denomination is not the answer. Denominations are the "bundles" of primarily tares which Jesus' parable spoke about.  But, since OTHER DISCIPLES will have heeded the call to "come out," there will be, OUTSIDE of formal denominationalism, groups of disciples who have found each other and who will be freely discussing and searching the many clarified and clarifying truths now available to sincere and consecrated Christians.

 

Paul, in Hebrews 10:25, admonishes against isolationism. He points out that, especially as we see the day approaching, we should not allow ourselves to be without each other's fellowship. Finding other sincere saints with whom we can have fellowship is not only important, but mandatory.

 

How do we FIND these other faithful Christians who are jointly attempting to live up to the high standards of doctrine and character development which the Lord requires?  We DO have to LOOK!  But just like the far-sighted birds who seek and find the "carcass" (Matthew 24:28; Luke 17:37), THAT is HOW and WHERE we look.  We must find Biblical TRUTH (food). We must find those devoted Christians who are studying with sincerity and finding what the Bible REALLY says -- not what nominal Christianity has told us is true.

 

This takes courage and fortitude. It takes prayer and study. It takes the DESIRE to want to know God and His plans as well as we can. And it takes the kind of self-honesty that allows us to question why we hold the beliefs we do. We must be willing to change our minds when we see the power of Scripture on a subject.  (Romans 12:2)  Erasing long-held beliefs is not easy.  But if, indeed, we respect and glorify the Word of God, we will be more than willing to do so -- even if it involves the loss of old friendships and the onset of scorn from others.  It IS a "high calling."  No one should expect it to be easy. But if, indeed, God is all we think He is, we should have sufficient faith to place ourselves in His hands as He leads us into the treasures of his Biblical storehouse.

 

The Holy Spirit will not lead the truly sincere saint astray. It will allow us to "hear the Shepherd's voice" when we come into proximity with it.  In other words, THE TRUTH will sound like the truth.  It will appeal to our heads and hearts.  It will SOUND LIKE GOD -- the kind of God we have always hoped for.  It will be scripturally-based; it will be rational, reasonable, and non-contradictory.  It will be GOOD NEWS! -- better than most of what we have heard all of our lives.

 

 

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