Chapter Two, The Call

I walked in silence behind the Voice, for a good distance. Gradually the path got broader, so I pulled up beside him. I had many more questions, and did not want to waste whatever time I had with him.

“I would like to ask you about the ‘mighty ones’ Enoch prophesied of,” I began. “You may ask anything,” the Voice responded. “Will these ‘mighty ones’ be like Enoch and walk so closely with the Lord that they will be taken up?” “The questions you have about them would be better asked of Enoch, but I will tell you what I do know,” he responded. “These ‘messengers of power’ will walk with the Lord like Enoch, and they will reveal His power like I did. “Enoch was a sign. He was kept so that he would not see death for the same reason that I was —to prepare the way for the Lord, by preparing His people. That fact that Enoch walked with God and ‘was not’ was more than him just being caught up to heaven. He loved God so much that God became his life. He lived to know and serve the Lord. And so it will be, with these ‘mighty ones’ that he prophesied would come at the end of this age.

“I had the power, but Enoch had the greatest love for God. Enoch loved God so much that he wanted God more than he wanted food, water, or even air to breathe. Loving God is the highest purpose of man, and those who love are transformed and translated, into the heavenly realms of God. At the end of this age, His messengers will have both the love for God, that Enoch had, and the power that I had. Their power will be the power of the love of God.” “Will I see Enoch too?” I asked. “Those who walk this path will see me and Enoch. You must see us, to stay on the path.” “So I will literally see Enoch?” “Why do you care about what you call ‘literal’? What you see in the natural is not as important or as ‘literal’ as what you see, with the eyes of your heart, your spirit. Only love can enable you, to handle the power, that is to be given to God’s messengers in these times, without it causing you to stumble or drift from the path of life.” The Voice stopped, turned, and took hold of both of my shoulders, while looking me straight in the eyes, and said,

“Love, combined with power, results in courage. Courage is the result of loving others, more than yourself. The greatest courage comes from loving God, even more than we love ourselves. If we love Him, we will also love His people. You must know your message and your purpose, but those alone will not keep you. All will eventually quit, if they do not have love.

“And those who have love, without power, will fail, because true love is not just a feeling, but an action. Those who have the truth, will quit, if they do not love the truth. It is not just love or power, but it is the power of love you must have. Love is the greatest, but true love is expressed in power. When both are present, they produce courage, because love will face trials or any danger for those they love. Where you are going, you will face the greatest trials and the greatest dangers. To walk this path, will take the greatest courage, so you must seek the greatest love and the power of that love.”

“No one can see God and not love Him,” I said. “How do you know that?” the Voice retorted. “I’ve seen Him,” I answered. “You have been given grace,” the Voice responded. “No man can see Him and not be drawn to Him, except for the sons of perdition. They too are maturing in these times, and their power comes from the evil one. They will be as consumed with evil, as the ‘messengers of power’ will be consumed with God. This is the time when good and evil, will both be fully revealed on the earth.” “I have seen this too,” I responded. “The Scriptures are clear that this must come, but I have not been sure of the time. So, it is close then?” “It is close,” the Voice acknowledged with a tremble that told me I had touched a nerve. “There is much to do to prepare,” I offered. “‘Prepare’ is the crucial word for this hour,” the Voice responded. “The children of light have never been further from being ready, for what is coming upon them. Never have we had more to do and less time to do it in. It is good that we serve a God, that does His greatest works, when it becomes impossible for us. We are, therefore, about to see His greatest works.”

“Those who can see, are all saying this. Our hope, is that when Israel fell into its darkest times, then the Lord raised up His greatest prophets,” I responded, pondering how the one I now walked beside, had been one of these. “Man was created to have a special relationship with God. Therefore, nothing can satisfy the heart of man, like God Himself. Of the great works we are about to witness, none will be more wonderful than His presence among His people. He is going to come to His people. God’s glory will be seen by His people, and His glory will appear upon them. This is what is going to draw the nations to His light,” the Voice declared, as if he was not only speaking to me. “You have seen Him, and that is what has kept you. That is what has brought you, to this path. Others have not seen Him with their physical eyes, as you have, but they have seen Him with their hearts. They too will walk this path, with courage and resolute hearts. The glory that will soon be manifested, will cause everyone on earth to enter the Valley of Decision, where they must choose. “No man can see Him, and not be drawn to Him, unless they are the sons of perdition, that the enemy has completely taken over. There are many like this, who will also be revealed. Those will only hate Him more the more they see Him. Is that not how they reacted to Jesus, when He walked the earth?

“The immature believe, that if those who oppose God, could just see a miracle, they would come to the Lord. But, the greater the works that Jesus did, the more those who served evil, hated Him,” the Voice stated. “Before the nations come to the light, they must see the conflict, between the light and the darkness, once again. “I had to stand against great evil in my time. The great evil in my time, was built on religious zeal. The false prophets and teachers would cut themselves, beat themselves, and even sacrifice their own children, out of zeal for the gods they served. These are the ones who think, that God will only answer them, when they have sacrificed enough. You are just beginning to face, the same perverted religious zeal, in your times. You must face it with the truth, that God’s own sacrifice was enough, and He will answer us because of His sacrifice, not ours.

“The harvest, that is the end of this age, is the time when all the seeds that have been sown, come to full maturity. All that has been sown in man will now mature. And the ultimate conflict of man, is the one that began with the first two brothers, and this began with the sacrifice. Cain brought the fruit of his own works, and Abel brought the blood from the sacrifice of the lamb. This remains the point of all the conflict that has unfolded, and that will soon culminate in the last battle.

“You must do the same in your time, that I did in my time—you must confront the false religions, the false worship, and all that is based on the works, sacrifices, and self-righteousness of men. You must confront it, by standing on the works of God. The cross is your message. It is the banner that those who serve the Lord, and not just themselves, will gather under.” “I have seen how self-sacrifice, can lead to self-righteousness. I have watched it turn devoted followers of the Lord, into those who cause divisions and oppose the Holy Spirit,” I commented. “There are religious conservatives who love the truth. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea are examples. Other such as these, can be some of the pillars of the faith, and will be a great strength in these times. But even so, it was the conservative religious leaders, that were the resolute enemies, of the Truth Himself, when He walked the earth. So it will be in these times.

“Those who use religion for personal gain or position, will be of special use to the enemy. There are those in high positions in religious institutions who love God, but it is a rare soul that can keep from being corrupted by religious systems. There is no greater transgression, or corruption of heart, than to use the things of God to draw worship or devotion to yourself. This was how satan’s fall began, and it continues to be what causes the most destructive falls of all —the fall from a high position. The higher you are when you fall, the more people that will be hurt by it. When you think that this cannot happen to you, then you are in the most danger.

“To guard your heart against this, you must understand the message of Enoch. Those who are walking with God, who are seeing His glory, cannot bear the thought of doing something, so profane, as using the things of God, to draw attention to themselves. Self-promotion, is not possible for those who ‘are not,’ because they have lost themselves in Him. Self-promotion reveals a basic delusion. It would be like the donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem, thinking all of the adulation was for it,” the Voice continued. “The same is true of churches, ministries, or any religious institution that builds on self-promotion for advancement. Those that have been built on self-promotion, rather than by the Holy Spirit, will be some of the most deadly enemies of the truth, in these times. Such advancement is the opposite of the way of true discipleship, the way of the cross, and this path that you are on now. “It is my purpose,” the Voice continued, “to challenge all who are hesitating between opinions. It is my purpose to make the opposing positions clear. That is one way that you, and all who come here, will prepare the way for the Lord in this time. The world is entering the Valley of Decision, and all must choose between the light and the darkness. It has been a basic purpose of the evil one, to blur all distinctions that God has made. However, those distinctions are about to be made clear, by the messengers of power, and all will be forced to choose.”

“For you to be here now, the Lord’s return is obviously near,” I said.

“His coming is near,” the Voice replied, while picking up the pace, “and there is much to be done.” “You said that my destination is my home. How will going to my home, help to prepare the way for the Lord?” I asked. “Your home is His home. Your destination is the mountain. The mountain of the Lord is your home. Your home, is where He is.”

“You also said we were going to the city of the Lord.” “We are. His city, is a city set on a hill. We are going to the mountain, of the house of the Lord. That is the true home of all who love Him and do His will.”

“I’ve been to the mountain. I had some of the greatest experiences of my life there. It has now been almost twenty years since I was there. Has anything changed since I was there?” I inquired.

“Everything changes with time, except for the King,” the Voice answered. “I know you have fought on the mountain. You climbed it and beheld the glory of the Lord. You have even seen what is in the heart of it, the heart of His kingdom, which is His sacrifice. Even so, there is much more to the mountain than you have seen.” “Please, tell me how has it changed?” I asked.

“Throughout this age, the mountain has been in continuous battle. It is always under assault from the enemy, because it is the greatest threat to his domain. The mountain is also growing, just as Daniel foresaw, but you will recognize it. Through these years, since you were there, you have been helping to build it.”

“How is that?” I inquired. “You helped some of the builders, on their way to the mountain. You have helped more than you know to find the mountain, and they have been busy with the work of the Lord. You have more friends there, than you realize,” the Voice said.

“That is encouraging. In recent years, I have had many failures with the ones I had such hope for. It’s been hard not to wonder….” “If anything you’ve done has made a difference” the Voice finished my sentence. Again, the Voice stopped, turned, and looked me straight in the eyes, which I had learned he would do, before he was to say something of great importance.

“Some, who you think of as great failures, you will find on the mountain. Some have been diverted from the path, but they will find their way back. All that you taught them, they will remember, and it will help them. When I began to feel the same way—that I was the only one left— I became useless to the Lord, and He had to remove me and give the rest of my assignment to another. Your labor has not been in vain, and you must not trust in appearances for judging success or failure. You will have to wait for the Judgment Day, to know either of these.”

“Thank you. I know this is true. I know this is just self-centeredness, and maybe even self-pity for me to think like that,” I replied.

“O, It is worse! To think like that, will lead you into a delusion, that is as deadly as any other deception. Remember, that we are all total failures, and in ourselves, that is all that we will be. But we must seek and build on His victory, and what He is building. If we look at what He is doing, we will always be encouraged, and always rejoicing. If we look at ourselves, we will always be depressed. Don’t go there again.

It is a departure from this path. It is what cut me off from my own purpose, and it will cut anyone off who falls to it,” the Voice continued emphatically.

“I see this, but what about self-evaluation? Didn’t Paul write, that we should test ourselves, to be sure that we are in the faith? Aren’t we told to judge ourselves, lest we be judged?” I asked. “There is a place for guarding your own heart, and for being watchful over your own soul, but would you want your evaluation of yourself, or the Holy Spirit’s evaluation?” “The Holy Spirit’s, of course,” I answered.

“There are many things that are obvious, that we should be able to judge easily about ourselves. What we can do, we are expected to do. The deep things, we must leave to the Holy Spirit. What the mature learn, is to seek the conviction of the Holy Spirit, to want His correction, and to become ever more sensitive to Him. As Solomon wrote, the wise love correction. The mature take correction, as evidence of God’s love for them, not rejection. “The self-pity that you have slipped into at times, and that I stumbled over, is rooted in rejection. Rejection is a deadly enemy, because it is a basic deception.

Your God will never reject you. He will never leave or forsake you. That is the truth you must never let go of.” We walked on for a while in silence. I felt like I had gone through deliverance. I knew everything he said, and I had taught most of it. However, I knew I had come very close to falling because I had drifted from some of the truths, I had been so adamant about in my own teachings. I thought about how, the Apostle Paul had told Timothy, to pay attention to his own teachings, and how I needed to do the same. If I had not gotten back on this path, when I did, I would very likely have stumbled just like Elijah had. I would have ended up useless, for the purposes of God, and maybe even opposing them. I was overwhelmed by God’s grace. After a time, the Voice continued his instructions.

“The mountain will soon be the focus of the whole earth,” he began. “Soon, all who are not building it, will be seeking to destroy it. The mountain of the house of the Lord, will soon challenge everyone on earth. The ultimate battle is close at hand, and the mountain will be the battlefield. You must lead all who come to this path, to the mountain. They must find their place on it. That is how you will help prepare the way for the Lord.”

“I have been fighting battles my whole life,” I offered. “Most of them have been with myself, as you have again, helped me to see. I would much rather be fighting for the mountain. Fighting on the mountain was hard. Climbing it was hard. Seeing what was in the heart of it was hard, but it was also the best time of my life. I am so glad to be going back!”

“The battles you fought with yourself, were also important. If you had not fought those, you would not be here now,” the Voice explained. The path continued to get wider, as we walked. I was about to ask about this, when we broke out of the forest into the open. There was a beach in front of us, and a large luxury cruise ship was offloading passengers nearby. The place felt familiar, and then I recognized it, as the same place from which I had entered the wilderness before. “What are we doing back here?” I asked. “I thought we were on the path to the mountain?”

“This is the path to the mountain,” the Voice said, pointing to the place where I had entered before. “I know, but I have already been through that part of the wilderness, and I sure do not want to go through it again. Did we just walk in a big circle? Did I fail the test of this wilderness, so that I must go through it again?” “You did not fail. This is the next test, and it is a bigger one. You cannot go further until you

have brought others as far as you have gone.” “So I must go through the same trials again?”

“Yes, but they should be much easier for you this time, though the journey will likely be more difficult.” “How will the trials be easier, but the journey more difficult?” I asked. “It will be easier, because you will not forget to drink the living water. It will be harder because you will have these people with you,” the Voice said, pointing to those getting off of the ship. I turned to ask the Voice another question, but he was gone. As I stood there looking at the people getting off, an officer of the ship began to walk toward me, followed by a few dozen people. “We are ready to go,” the young officer said.