THE STONE CUT OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN

THE STONE CUT OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN

In the year 606 BC., The King of Babylon attacked and conquered Judah and Jerusalem. He took many captives to Babylon. Among them were some prime young Jewish men. Four of these young men came into close contact with the king during the time they were there. They were used of God to frustrate the king, and also to show him who was actually in control of the earth. Ancient Babylon is the present location of Iraq.

It is interesting to see what happened when ancient governments came into contact with the people of the Living God. Unusual things began to happen almost immediately.

Dan 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep broke from him.

You are probably familiar with the story of how the king called for the wisest men of the kingdom to tell him what the dreams meant. When they faltered, he ordered them to be killed. (The Chaldeans were a cruel people). Daniel, who was one of the “wise men”, pleaded for more time. He was confident that his God would not fail him.

Dan 2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.

He found the other three young Jewish men (Shadrack Meshack and Abednego), and they went to prayer.

Dan 2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel
in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Daniel returned to the king, and was able to recite before him the exact dream he had dreamed. He also had the interpretation of the dream.
That dream, with its interpretation, reaches down through the corridors of time, lo, these many years, to the time in which we are living today.

It is the pre-recorded history of the four (4) world-wide Gentile kingdoms that have dominated the world for over two and a half millennia. No one knows how much longer it may continue.

But please note that there were only four (4) kingdoms permitted before the Lord grinds them to powder and the wind blows them away.

If Communism, New age, Moslem, Buddha or any other form of government/religion were to aspire to world domination, they would come to naught, for God only provided for four (4) before He does what He is planning to do.

God is definitely NOT “PLAYING BY EAR”. He is not influenced by what might appear to be standing in His way to oppose Him. He has no “plan B” that He might need to resort to. Plan A will get the job done ON TIME. He has the resources and the know-how, plus the Will to do it.

Dan 2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. (dreadful) 2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, (Babylonian) his breast and his arms of silver (Medo-Persian), his belly and his thighs of brass (Greek),
Dan 2:33 His legs of iron (Roman), his feet part of iron and part of clay (Holy Roman). (Apostate religion) 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his FEET that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, THAT NO PLACE WAS FOUND FOR THEM: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and FILLED THE WHOLE EARTH. 2:44 And in the DAYS OF THESE KINGS shall the GOD OF HEAVEN set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and IT SHALL STAND FOREVER.

Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain WITHOUT HANDS, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: AND THE DREAM IS CERTAIN, AND THE INTERPRETATION THEREOF SURE.

When I was a young man, I automatically thought that this portion of scripture was referring to Heaven, or at least the Millennium in the New Jerusalem. That was as far as our “light” would shine for us to see.

Out in the dimness, beyond the scope of our “light”, we could only “see” what we had been told was out there. Antichrist, great tribulation, mark of the beast, one-world government, cashless society, Common Market, Revived Roman Empire etc. etc. was all there was out beyond our “light”. It was murky, to say the least, and very few “pretended” to know a great deal about it.

Lately, there seems to be many who consider themselves to be experts in the knowledge of what will happen in the near future. Problem is, they all seem to know what WE should be doing TO CAUSE it to happen.

As soon as they suggest that we “fall in line” behind them, or that we send money to finance what they are promoting, I back away, for I KNOW THEY HAVE NOT HEARD FROM GOD, AND IT WILL NOT WORK.

The Bible tells us plainly how it is going to happen. The “hands of man” will have nothing to do with it. Nothing, that is, except to probably try to stop it for fear that it is “not of God.”

Dan 2:44 And in the DAYS OF THESE KINGS shall the GOD OF HEAVEN set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and IT SHALL STAND FOREVER.

Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain WITHOUT HANDS, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter….

THINK OF IT! No government, no religion, no economy, nor any military machine will escape the “breaking to pieces and becoming like the chaff of the threshing floor, and being blown away by the wind” when God “makes bare His Holy Arm” (Isa 52:10)

The “STONE” cut out of the mountain is none other than the CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD--- the NEW JERUSALEM which is being built before our wondering eyes right now by the Spirit of God—without the hands of man. The OVERCOMERS, if you please.

After crushing and destroying “Babylon”, the stone (Church) goes on and completely fills the earth. “…and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. …” (Dan 2:35)

Like leaven, which penetrates to every molecule of the dough.

We are serving a BIG GOD!

I can not forgive the sins of anyone. I can not give anyone the Holy Ghost. I can not impart Faith to anyone. I can not make any of my fellow believers into Overcomers. Only God can do those things.

But, I CAN, like Abraham of old, BELIEVE that what God has promised, He is able to perform. I can BELIEVE and OBEY His Commands.
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(Following is an email answer to a question asked by a man who had read one of my articles on the InterNet.)

Dear Brother:

You wrote, << "First, I must disagree with your assertion that the Holy Ghost withdrew Himself from the body of Christ (sic) at the same moment he drew His final breath." >>>

(My answer)
Sorry, but you are not the only one who misunderstood what I was meaning to say. There have been others also.

I believe there was some reason for the anguished cry on the cross, "My God, My God, Why has Thou forsaken me?" Who was calling to whom? What had happened?

Between Jordan and Calvary, Jesus acted as the Anointed of the Lord. He had a FULL ANOINTING for those 3 1/2 years. It was that FULL ANOINTING which was taken from Him just PRIOR to death. That, coupled with the burden of the sins of the world produced the anguished cry.

You, and others, have questioned me about the Holy Ghost leaving AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH. I sure did leave that one open for misunderstanding. I should have written, "Before Jesus gave up the ghost, He was stripped of the special anointing given Him at Jordan, and the sins of the world were laid upon Him."

My understanding of JUSTIFICATION is such that Jesus could not be INNOCENT and GUILTY at the same time. He was nailed to the cross in total, absolute innocence. After God smote him on the cross, he was total and absolute GUILT. His innocence was to be made available to us, just as our guilt had been laid upon Him. There is no fence-straddling. We are either guilty or innocent-- not both at the same time.

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him STRICKEN, SMITTEN OF GOD, AND AFFLICTED.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL.

We ran into a teaching similar to your thoughts in the forties. It was widely held by the PAofJC brethren that God, Himself, died on the cross. They would not admit it to be so, but the belief was widespread at the time.

You asked about when the Anointing of Christ returned to Jesus. At the time of the resurrection. Acts 13:30 But God raised him from the dead: Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, THIS DAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN THEE.

Acts 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that GOD HATH MADE THAT SAME JESUS, whom ye have crucified, BOTH LORD AND CHRIST.

Bro. Evans, I really do appreciate your letter. You show a real Christian attitude. I also appreciate your concern about your belief that I have "bought in" to error.

Most of the difficulty has come from me not realizing that other folks may not know where I'm coming from in some of the expressions I use. I Pastored one Church for 23 years (the last one before I had to change my Ministry because of deafness), and had taught the people so well that they could "read" me when I spoke to them. You didn't have the privilege of sitting under such a wonderful Ministry. :-)

Christian Love

Marion