Brian Zahnd – Path Without End

“Even now the axe of God’s judgement is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees.” (Luke 3:9a) (John the Baptist declaring the time! Preparing the way for Christ!)

This is John the Baptist himself, the forerunner of Christ, explaining to the religious brood of vipers, that Jesus was coming and there was an axe “POISED” ready to strike, preparing to chop down the corrupt religious system at that time. Need I remind of Roman’s chapter eleven’s warning to all of us that if a wild branch were grafted into the tree, how much easier it would be to cut it off and graft back in the original branch?

I have often posed the question, will the same conditions that Christ came the first time, be the same conditions that Christ comes the second time? This thought has haunted me for many years. Because “WE” are the religious system that is supposed to be shining the light of God to the world! Would we repeat the same mistake the original branch did? Would we fail to recognize God in our time? Has our message of Christ become so perverted, that we would not heed the true words of Jesus himself? Is this “King Theology”, as I have labeled it, nothing but a house of cards ready to fall, as I believe it is? Is there a huge axe poised over the modern church, and it will fall immediately after the second coming of Christ?

The pretrib version of the rapture shows tremendous persecution of those who follow Christ thereafter. The early Christians also suffered great persecution from Rome after Christ came the first time. Is the modern church repeating the same mistake the original branch of the tree made? Thereby setting up the same conditions which brought Christ the first time? I hate to say it, but there is something that seems very likely.

If John the Baptist showed up today and was baptizing in a nearby river, and some of our tv evangelist, or modern church pastors went to him, asking him who he was, do you think he might have the same message for them that he had for the scribes and pharisees of that day? And are we the spiritual products of those preachers? Is this setting up the great falling away? Has it been in progress for a while now?

I have shared how something has drawn me out of the modern church religious system and has me now facing a lot of questions for myself. The teepee I have built, which is not fully completed by any means, but is functional, will likely open its doors for anyone interested this coming spring. In the meantime, I have this time, to make some hard decisions about what hath God actually said in our New Testament covenant with Him. One thing I see so far is, our modern church strains at a gnat and swallows a camel!

Is a church service supposed to be about the “Presence of God”, or the “presence of man”? Are we setting our table to please God, or please more men (and women)? When we come together as a corporate group, should we not be seeking the greatest Presence of God we can achieve, rather than the greatest presence of people? And would not a greater Presence of God, eventually develop the kind of body of Christ we’re seeking anyway? Our mission to build up the body of Christ into an image which actually reflects the nature and character of Christ?

This is the spiritual journey I am on. Others are on this journey too. Many are hearing a John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness. I am in much study, prayer, and reading at this time, and will likely be so this whole winter. I’m still holding off on some thoughts I’ve had concerning the latest Star Wars movie, so as not to cause spoilers, but I’m here to tell you, the lives Princess Lea, Hans Solo, and Luke Skywalker went on to have after their great victory, does not seem to have been so great! They spent their whole lives in battle against the Empire, and it’s still not dead! How depressing is that?

I do believe there is a new wave coming, just as Jesus was in his day, and the five virgins who have the oil will recognize that voice. Indeed, already are recogning the voice of the lover of our soul! Perhaps this is the time of John the Baptist preaching to make straight the path of the Lord! Something is stirring in the hearts of God’s people. An awakening! It’s real! And it’s the most important thing at this time! (But will it actually seem contrary to the word of God as we have known it, even as it seemed to the pharisees in that day?)

So……….. we need to discern what sound doctrine is. We need to know what the truth is. It’s contained in God’s word. It’s there for us to find. God has given us the Holy Spirit to lead into that promised land. He has not left us orphans. Jesus is speaking! And so is a false image of him. Surely, if we are sincere, we can recognize the real Jesus from the fake!

I have much to say on this journey we are making, and this article launches this subject. By the time my teepee opens, I will have to know what it shall be. A House of Prayer, for sure, but what else?

I have mentioned I’ve been reading Brian Zahnd. His message came to me just at this time. I think finding the right balance of what he is saying may be the answer to a lot of my questions. I will be sharing more thoughts on that message after I complete more study of his books. But let’s finish this article with this: What did John the Baptist follow his hard words to the pharisees with? When the crowds were moved by his words and asked the question: “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10) What was his answer?

John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” (And he continued. But you get the idea.)

There is much I agree with Zahnd on, one of which “I think” is: Christ is coming back for a people who truely love God (first), like a bride should; and then also live by “The Golden Rule”. We are not kings of our own little empire, but our hearts should not be able to help noticing the plight of others. This is not an easy thing, but I do think if we pray, the Holy Spirit in us, will do the work of changing our hearts, so that we actually become what we speak with our mouth. In other words, many of us claim these things “verbally”, but are not living it “actually”. The two must become one. Our words must become real. There is an axe poised for the foolish virgins.

Who are the true John the Baptists in our day? The day of our visitation. We must hear such people. I’m spending this winter seeking that very thing. I hope we can do this together.

My wife and I see “Star Wars” tomorrow. I’ve waited 40 years for this episode!

We were married on April 2, 1977. In May of 1977 we saw the very first movie of Star Wars! It blew us away! It was cutting edge at that time. We saw it at the best theater available, and had never seen anything like it. We were still newly weds just starting our lives together, and did not know we were beginning a 40 year journey with Star Wars! I was 21 and she was 18. Now I’m 62, and she is 59. We have grown old with Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, and Princess Lea, who I will see for the last time tomorrow. Where have the years gone? But it has been great.

None of our five children were born yet. Now we have seven “grand”children! Tomorrow, my bride and I, the woman I have loved all these years, go to see another Star Wars movie: “The Last Jedi”. What does that mean? The last? Is it all coming to an end?

I believe Star Wars is special to my generation because it led the way into the incredible movies we have today. It was like “the first” for us. But as you can see, it has meaning for me in other ways too, including spiritually, because of the battle between light and darkness, Empire and Soul!

I have spent my life learning to be a soldier of the Lord, a priest of light, a disciple of love, a witness of truth, and seeking God’s power, not my own, something we call the Anointing, His Holy Spirit in us. When Darth Vader said his famous line about Luke, the one where he says: “The force is strong with this one.” That fed the fire in me to grow in my Lord. Now, many years later, a strong topic of this blog site is not to be “Skywalker”, but to be a “Godwalker”, an Enoch people, whose heart burns within us as we walk with our Lord!

(Luke 24:15) “…Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them.”

(Luke 24:32) “They said to each other, ‘Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?”

Star Wars has always been an allegory (of sorts) for the Christian calling of the “Good Fight”. It makes no claims to be Christian, and it is not, but that doesn’t mean it can’t inspire a person if viewed from a certain perspective. Luke’s Light Sabre? Wow! What a great analogy of the Word of God, a Sword of Light!

A Jedi Knight was not materialistic. I’ve always enjoyed this part of its message. Was this one of the reasons the Jedi had become a dying breed? People love the pleasures life has to offer, but a Jedi was trained to walk a different path drawing on an invisible source of power most people no longer believed in, including Hans Solo, the perfect worldly non-believer! (He came to believe.)

And now Hans is dead, Luke is old and been separated on an island for years, after having great tragedy befall him, as he led a “School”.

But there has been an awakening. Have you felt it?

A new Jedi discovered? Like Luke, she did not even know! She is untrained. Who is she? What is her relationship to Skywalker? Why does his light sabre call to her? The sabre thought lost, suddenly found! This one who’s name is, Rey.

So…I consider this weekend to be special. Even as I’ve been on a journey of my own, what with leaving the “modern” church to build a teepee behind a barn housing Tumbler Pigeons. And there has been an unexpected ingredient added to the mixture of this weekend. A new teacher I came across. (New to me.) So I bought a book of his, not knowing what was in the last third of the book. But I read the whole thing in less than a week! And now it adds to my viewing of Star Wars tomorrow.

Brian Zahnd, is the author. The book: “Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God”. At this time in which I’m trying to figure out some things, this man’s perspective challenges me. He’s caused me to reconsider some theories I’ve had of my own; theories I’ve been uncertain about, but now see possibilities. He seems to have a problem with what I call the “judgement” side of God, of which the Old Testament is a warning to us not to go there! But I’m still sorting out where I agree with him, and where I don’t. I do agree with him in some ways. But I love the last third of his book! Especially at this time! I did not know the book would take me into Revelation! And an analogy of “Godwalker verses Empire”! It could not have come at a more meaningful time!

I think I’m going to have a lot to say on this. Is this part of the awakening? I believe it is, but in what way? I’m very cautious in matters of the soul!

Zahnd explains how John the Revelator was exiled on the Isle of Patmos because of an Empire, a superpower, known as Rome. He also explains how John (or God) encoded the revelation so it would not be obvious it was about the empire Rome. Perhaps this was for his own safety, but whatever the case, the book of Revelation is the story of God and his people resisting the Empire at that time, and perhaps a time yet to come. After all, the Prophet Daniel did interpret the king’s dream and saw a revised Roman Empire in the last days!

Whether we are coming into the last days, or not, the materialistic “World System” has always been the adversary of all “Godwalkers” in the earth. According to Zahnd, and I believe he is right, John the Revelator was concerned the Church was becoming too comfortable in the Roman Empire. John, evidently, had not gained such acceptance, as they exiled him to this island! Pretty obvious he simply was not fitting in, but the Church was beginning to.

I know Constantine eventually comes along, and the rest is history. We happen to have a potential Constantine of our own right now, of which I have spoken of in other articles. It’s all very spooky how it seems to fit together. Those with eyes to see, those who are awake are aware.

Is God treating you as his friend? God reveals things to his friends. Has there been an awakening? Are you aware? Has it been made known to you? Or are you out of the loop? Is this article possibly God inviting you in? Only you can decide these things for yourself.

I know I’m going to have a lot to say about this. I love writing and teaching. Don’t think of this site as just a blog. Think of it as a “BOOK”. If you’re truly a seeker, and if these subjects interest you, then there is much here for you to enjoy. As much as a BOOK!

I don’t want the chapters to be too long. So I’m making a chapter break. I will likely shoot another article out before this day is over, because I already have it on my mind. And tomorrow? After having seen Star Wars? It is likely I will write again, if I think I can do it without causing any spoilers. I’m loving this! I hope you are too!