The Future of the Church

Before the Lord gave Habakkuk a vision of the glorious Second Advent, He told the prophet, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it . . . ” Habakkuk 2:3.

As a fellowship we, too, have been given vision. There is a future for this people. Sometimes it seems like we have waited a long time, and that promised future has not yet happened. Things that Brother William Sowders prophesied about, have not yet come to pass. The future Brother Lloyd Goodwin predicted for the church has not occurred . . . yet. Other great men have taught about a glorious church – without spot or blemish. It hasn’t happened.

In response, we say: “Though the vision tarry, wait for it!”

The Vision Will Come to Pass

The vision of the future of the church that has been given to us by great men of God will come to pass. The Lord often gives men a message that predicts events that do not occur in their day. Most of the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and others, were about events in the future – far beyond their lifetimes. In the Body of Christ, we have had prophets. Whether we hear them or not, we have had prophets. See Ezekiel 2:2-5.

Sometimes the message given to a man of God is for a time beyond their lifespan. Because of that, it may seem as if what they spoke did not come to pass. God told Brother William Sowders, “preach My gospel!” and, to a limited extent, he did. The message of charity, the truth on hell, the Godhead, Babylon, the limited number in the bride, and other messages were part of that gospel. But Brother William Sowders never had that entire gospel. He was never able to preach HIS gospel in completeness.

Brother Sowders knew that martyrdom was coming to the church, and prayed that he would be the first martyr in the modern Body of Christ. But that didn’t happen. Does that mean Brother William Sowders was a false prophet? Obviously not. Brother Lloyd Goodwin said the Lord told him he had ten years, and he died two months later. Others set deadlines for certain things to happen, and those dates came and went. Does that mean we should reject these men and their message? No.

When a vision is of God, it will come to pass. A man of God’s vision does not die with him. Great men were anointed of God to preach messages to prepare a people for end-time events.

Somebody must get under their words, and hold them up, and see that they do not lose their effectiveness. In the Old Testament, it was Jehu who made sure that none of Elijah’s words fell to the ground. II Kings 10:10.

Elijah had been gone for ten years when Jehu felt the urging of the Lord to hold up Elijah’s prophecy. Some may have felt that those words would never come to pass. Some were content to forget about Elijah. Some thought he missed it when he prophesied. Some thought he was a false prophet. But his prophecy was right; and Jehu was the human instrument to bring that prophecy into fruition.

In I Kings 19:15-16, Elijah was commissioned to do three things: (1) anoint Hazael king of Syria; (2) anoint Jehu king of Israel; and (3) anoint Elisha as prophet. In verse 19, Elijah did number 3. He anointed Elisha, but he died without ever anointing Hazael or Jehu.

Was Elijah wrong, or deceived?

He said that God had told him to anoint Hazael and Jehu. But he did not do that. Did he miss God? He died without ever performing the word of the Lord. As far as we know, he never even met either of them.

Elijah lived for another ten years, and still did not fulfill his commission. After he was gone, scoffers would probably say, “Poor old Elijah. He said the Lord told him to anoint Hazael and Jehu. But he never did. It must not have really been the Lord talking to him. I don’t think we should put any stock in anything Elijah said.” If people talked like that, they were wrong.

Elijah also prophesied a horrible end for Jezebel. See I Kings 21:23. But when his life was over, she was still queen. She probably felt triumphant – “Elijah was wrong,” she thought. Jezebel was not an Israelite; she was a Zidonian Baal-worshipper. I Kings 16:31. She cut off the prophets of the Lord. I Kings 18:4. She supported false prophets. Verse 19. She threatened the man of God. I Kings 19:1-2.

Finally, around 855 B.C., judgment was pronounced against Jezebel. I Kings 21:23. Years passed. God took Elijah off the scene some three years later. II Kings 2:11. Jezebel probably said, “Elijah is gone, but I am still here.” Her impudence increased; she may have told people that Elijah was a false prophet, and worse.

Even if Elijah did not personally see the prophecies fulfilled, his words were still right. In 842 B.C., ten years after Elijah was gone, and thirteen years after he prophesied Jezebel’s doom, his words came to pass. II Kings 9:30.

As to Hazael and Jehu, someone else would pick up where Elijah left off. Elisha felt that it was his ministry to redeem the words of Elijah. He could have just ignored the old prophecy, and said it was a new hour, a new message, and a new man; but he knew he had to hold up the credibility of the prior dispensation.

In II Kings 9:1-3, a later man of God completed the work Elijah had started. If the dates in the center column reference are correct, twenty years had passed since God told Elijah to anoint Jehu. Elisha did the work, and Jehu became king. In II Kings 8:13, about the same time, Elisha told Hazael that he would be king over Syria.

Brother Lloyd Goodwin’s ten years may have been like Elijah’s instructions to anoint Hazael and Jehu. It is true that his ministry had ten years, but he did not live to see what his ministry would have accomplished in those ten years. But others are going to hold up his credibility and his words. They are going to complete the mission God gave him.

A Prophet’s Words Do Not Fail

Moses prophesied of things in the writing of the law that did not come to pass for five hundred years. During the time of Joshua, and of the Judges, people probably wondered why the law made provisions for a king, and for a temple. For centuries, they had no kings. Judges and tribal elders ruled. Could they even conceive of doing away with the tabernacle that Moses had built – in favor of a temple? But the long-dormant prophecies came to pass.

Not one word of God’s promises through Moses ever failed. Centuries later, King Solomon could say, “Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.” I Kings 8:56.

Not one word of God’s promises through anointed men of our time will fail either. The scripture said of the Prophet Samuel, “the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” I Samuel 3:19. We may get weary of waiting for the fulfillment of the vision of great men who are no longer alive. But though the vision tarry, wait for it. The vision will come to pass.

This is no time to look for another vision. The vision we already have been given is of the Lord. But if we are not diligent, our vision can become sealed. Isaiah 29:11-12. If we lose the vision, we will perish. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18.

Habakkuk 2:2 says to write the vision. We have to make it plain for all to see. We must keep the vision alive. Like the men of Issachar, we must know what time it is – on God’s prophetic timeline. See I Chronicles 12:32.

All prophecy is fulfilled in time, in accord with the plan of God. In the next issue, we will continue with Part II of this series, A Counter-Culture Church.