Chapter 3 Work While It's Yet Day

                                                                   CHAPTER 3

WORK WHILE IT’S YET DAY

John 9:4-5 “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

This text in John’s Gospel should be considered a prophecy; yet I don’t know that I have ever heard that it was.  “While it is yet day,” wasn’t just referring to the day that Jesus walked the earth.  That day continued through His Apostles and now us.  Jesus said, “as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  He is still in the world and He Himself expressed this truth when He said, “Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”  Matt. 5:14.    We are now to be this light in the world.  Jesus goes on to say in John 11:9-10 “Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If any man walks in the DAY, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.  But if a man walks in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light IN HIM.”  Here we clearly see that we are this light of the world because the light that was in Jesus is now IN US.  So, we are now to be the light of the world.  This light is His power in us; not we ourselves.  Jesus clearly in our opening text warns that there will come a time when no man can work because night comes; darkness comes when no man can work.  So, based on this prophecy, God’s light today, His church, called out assembly, will one day be removed; when this occurs night falls on this earth.

What has this to do with the theme of my book, “In the Shadow of His Power?”  I was given this title and first saw in it that we are in our weakness on the edge of His power, and that we live in the shadow of His power.  As I reflected on it once again something deeper was manifested in light of what I just brought out in the previous paragraph.  I was instructed to look up a piece that was revealed to me some time ago called “The Umbra.”  Here is that piece I wrote back then in light of what I have shared so far.

THE UNBRA

THE UMBRA, for me, is a new word, packed with power.  Here is its definition:  UMBRA, Latin; meaning the darkest part of a shadow. Follow this thought though selected Biblical texts in light of the word PLAINLY:

 “Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, “How long do you make us to doubt? If you are the Christ, tell us PLAINLY.”  John 10:24

“Then said Jesus unto them PLAINLY...Lazarus is dead.”   John 11:14

“These things have I spoken to you in proverbs; but the time will come when I shall NO MORE speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall SHOW YOU PLAINLY OF THE FATHER.  At that day ye shall ask in my name; and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.  I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.  His disciples said unto Him, “Lo, now you speak PLAINLY, and speak no proverb, Now are we sure that you know all things, and need not that any man should ask you; by this we believe that you came forth from God.  Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?” Behold, the hour comes, yea, is now come, that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.  In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”   John 16:25-33

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having SEEN them AFAR OFF, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims ON THE EARTH. For THEY THAT SAY SUCH THINGS, declare PLAINLY that they seek a country.  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country FROM WHENCE THEY CAME OUT, they might have had opportunity to have returned.  But they desired a better country that is heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He hath prepared for then a city.”  Heb. 11:13-16

This is the time of the removal of the UMBRA...in the old testament we find THE DARKEST PART OF THE SHADOW....in the New Testament light began to shine..yet, in proverbs of dark speech.  Christ mentions,” but the time will come when I shall NO MORE speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall SHOW YOU PLAINLY OF THE FATHER.”  It gets no plainer then to say....From Whence We Came, We Must Return. There is no mystical hidden meaning or dark speech to this short phrase. It means what it says. We are going to return from where we came whether or not we know from where we came.

I did not originate from the womb of my natural mother but from what was said in mystical speech of Paul the apostle, “the New Jerusalem, the Mother of us all.” Gal. 4:26  We are learning to “call no man our father,” because we have come to see who our Father was, and we are about our Father’s business of awakening to the true reality beyond this temporal world.

I hope you can see the connection with what I am sharing in the overall theme of this book and feel excited over how things I received years ago now come to a GREATER LIGHT and are very prophetic in nature, speaking to our day.  We will see the shadow soon turn to night; work while we yet had at least the shadow of day; “the darkest hour is just before dawn, the dawning of the Day Star in our hearts.”  What is this day star?  It is the acquired ability to see what is coming.  We have had twelve hours of day in which God has through His Holy Spirit worked the works He had wanted to work through us; now darkness is coming.  The time in which God removes His hand, thus His power, and Another takes power which God will use to consummate this age.  The question is put to us as was asked of His disciples that day, Do We Believe?  They responded as I am sure we would, “His disciples said unto Him, “Lo, now you speak PLAINLY, and speak no proverb,  Now are we sure that you know all things, and need not that any man should ask you; by this we believe that you came forth from God.  Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe?” Behold, the hour comes, yea, is now come, that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.  In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”  

This very Christ is in us asking those around us “Do you now believe?”  Some respond as His disciples responded to Him that day.  Yet know this, a time of testing is here; can you handle the fact that close family members, neighbors, friends and work associates will not accept what is expressed in God’s words, even though you may have by the power of the Holy Spirit spoke what is written “PLAINLY.”  We are living in a world that is on the edge of night; that once the shadow is passed they will enter into the darkest part of the shadow, the day of the Umbra.  We, who are the light of the world will be removed, then darkness will rule.  The removal of the RESTRAINING POWER of His Called out Assembly (Church) will set this world free to its ideas of freedom; free of hearing about this God as Creator, free of hearing about His Son and those who have received Him.  They will exchange light for darkness and fulfill yet another warning and prediction of Jesus, “the light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light, but if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of DARKNESS.  If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness?”

We live in a world that rejects God in its education system; that doesn’t want Him to rule over them; that may or may not give Him a one day a week thought, for which they feel they are walking in light.  No, it is only the shadow of what God had wanted and is quickly fading.  The “SON” is setting and the night of evil is dawning.  Be of good cheer, He has overcome the world!