The year 1967 was truly significant. While the "Six Day War" ended the "time of the Gentiles" and brought Jerusalem once again under the governance of the Jews, this literal sign which Christ gave of His return at the end of the world, was indeed marking the real, spiritual event of the hour. Several passages in Scripture speak specifically of this time of the restoration of the Presence of Messiah on earth, at His return. These Scriptures not only reveal the precise manner in which Messiah was prophesied to reappear to the earth, but, they also set forth the conditions required for the soul to be able to recognize His Presence, and receive the benefit of His reappearing.
Turn around and return to God, that your sins may be erased, blotted out, wiped clean, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [His immediate Presence]; and that He [the One present in Person] may send to you [personally]the Christ, the Messiah ...Whom heaven must receive and retain UNTIL the time for the complete restoration of all that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets for ages past. Thus Moses said to the forefathers, The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet from among your brethren as He raised up me: Him you shall listen to and understand by hearing and heed in all things whatever He tells you. Acts 3:19-22; Amplified.
The prophet Jeremiah also wrote of this particular manner in which Messiah the Prince would reappear to the earth at His return.
Note well, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will release from captivity My people...For it will come to pass in that day, says the Lord of hosts; that I will break the oppressor's yoke from your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and strangers will no more make slaves of the people of Israel. But they will serve the Lord their God, and David's descendent their King, Whom I will raise up for them...And their prince will be one of them, and their ruler will come from the midst of them. I will cause him to draw near and he will approach Me, for who is he, who would have the boldness and would dare on his own initiative to approach Me? says the Lord. [For who on his own initiative would dare to say, I AM Messiah, but One I called Myself?] Then you will be My people, and I will be your God...In the latter days you shall understand this. Jer. 30:3,8,9,21,22,24 Amplified.
The prophet Ezekiel spoke of Messiah dwelling among His people at His return.
Therefore will I rescue My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will raise up over them one Shepherd and He shall feed them, even My Servant David; He shall feed them and He shall be their Shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God and My Servant David a Prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it. And I will confirm with them a covenant of peace...and My people shall dwell safely in the wilderness...or pastureland...My people shall be secure in their land, and they shall be confident and know, understand and realize, that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them out of the hand of those who have made slaves of them...They shall dwell safely and none shall make them afraid in the day of the Messiah's reign...They shall know positively that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people, says the Lord God. And that you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are only men and I am your God, says the Lord. Eze. 34:22-31 Amplified.
Referring to "My Servant David a Prince among them," the Amplified footnote for this passage says: "The name of David is here put simply...instead of the more usual designations of the Messiah as the Son (Matt. 1:1); the Branch (Jer. 23:5), the Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16). But there can be no possible doubt as to the meaning...David, as the head of the theocracy and the ancestor of our Lord according to the flesh, constantly appears in the Scriptures as a type of the Messiah, and there can be no reasonable doubt that the prophecy would have been so understood, even at the time it was uttered. (Charles Ellicott, A Bible Commentary)." "For the children of Israel shall dwell and sit deprived many days without king or prince...Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God, inquiring of and requiring Him, and from the line of David, their King of kings; and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to His goodness and His good things in the latter days." Hosea 3:4,5 Amplified.
Referring to "in the day of the Messiah's reign," the footnote continues, "One day when Jesus visited the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-21), He was handed the roll of the book of Isaiah to read aloud. He deliberately turned to Isaiah 61, which tells in its eleven verses what His coming to the world would mean. But Jesus read only a few lines of the chapter, stopping in the midst of a sentence, and said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:21 KJV). He had to stop there, for the rest of the chapter could not be fulfilled until His second coming, of which Isaiah's prophecy tells. This section before us in Ezekiel (34:24-31) is telling of the same Messianic reign of which so many Scripture passages speak, the Messianic reign for which Jesus definitely promised to return to earth. [Matt. 25:31-34; 24:30; Rev. 1:7,8. (See also Luke 1:32,33; Acts 1:10,11).]"
The specific book of the Bible which deals exclusively with the return of Messiah, The Revelation, is very clear about this particular manner of Messiah's return.
Then I heard a mighty voice from the throne and I perceived its distinct words, saying, See! The abode of God is with men, and He will live, encamp, tent, among them; and God shall personally be with them and be their God. Rev. 21:3 Amplified.
The prophetic reference for this Scripture in Revelation, is a Messianic prophecy from the prophet Ezekiel.
Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people;...and you shall know that I am the Lord your Sovereign Ruler, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, O My people. And I shall put My Spirit in you and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land. Then you shall know, understand, and realize that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it, says the Lord...I will save them out of all their backslidings in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them. So shall they be My people, and I will be their God. And David My Servant shall be King over them, and they shall all have one Shepherd. They shall also walk in My ordinances and heed My statutes and do them...I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them. I will...set My sanctuary in the midst of them forever. My tabernacle or dwelling place also shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Ez. 37:12-27 Amplified.
Thus it came to pass, in 1967, that the Father returned His Son to this earth in Person, in the very manner prophesied — "from among your brethren," "from the midst of them," "their prince will be one of them," "I the Lord will be...a prince among them," and, "in the day of the Messiah's reign...they shall know positively that I, the Lord their God, am with them." "In the latter days you will understand this." This specific reference to the Son of God being among and with His people is also included in the literal definition of "stand up" in Dan. 12:1, "At that time will Michael stand up."
And at that time of the end, Michael, the great angelic prince who defends and has charge of your people, shall "appear, come on the scene, be appointed to stand with," your people. Amplified, Strong's Concordance.
Of the first coming of Michael, the Son of God, it was recorded, "For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me [in which to make the Atonement by Blood]...Then I said, 'Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,' as it is written of me in the roll of the book." Heb. 10:4-7 Amplified. The Father had prepared a very tiny living body, even a human fetus, for His Son to come into, in order to found the kingdom of God in a human soul. Father chose this particular human being from the foundation of the world, and named Him Jesus of Nazareth. Michael, His Son, was to make His Atonement by Blood in this human vessel. Thirty three years of intensive preparation were spent by Michael, in bringing this human vessel He was in, to complete readiness, to make the divine Atonement by Blood, in his body. "We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Heb. 10:7,10 RSV.
At the second coming of Michael, the Son of God, He says again to His Father, "You have made ready a body for Me to offer." Heb. 10:5 Amplified."It is true that He was chosen and foreordained, destined and foreknown for it before the foundation of the world, but He (Michael) was brought out to public view, made manifest, [to stand up, and appear,] in these last days, at the end of the times, for the sake of you...born again, not from a mortal origin, seed, sperm, but from one that is immortal [even Michael's Seed from the Atonement by Consummation] by the ever living and lasting Word of God." 1 Pet. 1:20,23 Amplified. At the end of the world, the Father named the human being, Wayne, whom He had chosen from the foundation of the world, to be the human "passageway" for the reentrance of His Son into humanity. Michael, His Son, was to make His final Messianic Atonement by Consummation in this human vessel. And again, thirty three years of intensive preparation were spent by Michael, in bringing the human vessel He was in, to complete readiness, to make the final Atonement by Consummation, in his body.
Michael came into the body of Wayne in 1967,
the one in whom Michael was going to show His Way. "Thy
way, O God, is in the sanctuary: Who is a great god like unto
God?" Ps. 77:13 ASV. In His human "passageway," Michael, the Son
of God, was going to enact, in a living human sanctuary, the actual process of
final atonement and cleansing of that sanctuary, which had been enacted in the
wilderness sanctuary on the typical Day of Atonement. The work which was
accomplished on the typical Day of Atonement, with the blood of animals, had
only been sufficient to cleanse the wilderness sanctuary once a year, and then,
the cleansing had to be repeated every year. Now, the divine High Priest, Whom
the wilderness high priest had prefigured, was going to personally apply the
real blood of His own life, "Who has been constituted a
Priest...on the basis of the power of an endless and indestructible
Life. For it is witnessed of Him, You are a Priest forever after the order,
with the rank of Melchizedek." Heb. 7:16,17 Amplified. Michael was going
to enter into Wayne with His Atonement by Blood, which He had made in Jesus of
Nazareth, and apply it seven times in the Holy Place, and seven times in the
Most Holy Place of his soul sanctuary. Heaven's High Priest, Melchizedek of the
living, heavenly sanctuary, was going to reveal His power to permanently
cleanse the sanctuary of the human soul from its own natural self life. Then,
through the human body of the first soul He cleansed, His "passageway,"
into His church, Michael, the Son of God Himself would enter, in Person, into
the Holy and Most Holy Places of His entire, collective, living temple, to make
the final Atonement by Consummation for His church, on the antitypical Day of
Atonement. Michael would not only marry Wayne indissolubly to Himself and His
Father, but by this divine Atonement by Consummation, He would marry His entire
church unto Himself. Through this final atonement, Michael would have made the
living Way in which to appear, come into Being, and "stand," in every part of
His Person, every single member, of His entire human body.
Thus it came to pass that in 1967, Michael returned to apply the life which He had founded in Jesus of Nazareth, in the human vessel His Father had chosen for Him. The Wayne He had chosen in which to return, had no outward appearance of being especially religious or redeemable. Michael came to empty this young man, who was full of his own natural self, or ego, to be a living demonstration of His Own ability and purpose to permanently cleanse the heavenly sanctuary of every soul in this final generation, who would yield to Him. In a very singular conversion, not through the instrumentality of a church, or any human being, Father Himself came down upon the vessel He had appointed, fulfilling in precise detail the Scriptures which had been written of the reappearing of Messiah.
Their King, Whom I will raise up for them, ...their prince, will be one of them, and their ruler will come from the midst of them. I will cause him to draw near and he will approach Me, for who is he, who would have the boldness and would dare on his own initiative to approach Me? says the Lord. Then you will be My people, and I will be your God...In the latter days you shall understand this. Jer. 30:9,21,22 Amplified.
Father raised up His Son from the midst of men, and Himself caused this soul to approach unto Him, and to yield to His Son, Michael, for His purposes of the hour. The year was 1967. Wayne recounts his conversion and introduction into Michael:
The details of my conversion are simple in their nature, and include very real communications and direct helps from the Father of all men. Every man is drawn of the Father at one time or another. Some men respond to that drawing and others resist it, since it fully removes one from his own life and the guardianship of his own will. This was truly done in my case.
My human nature was as any man's. Spiritually dead, and essentially lost, in that I did not know where I was going. I tried to enjoy the things all men try to enjoy. I attended social parties which kept me occupied, but filled no real need of my soul. I went to movies, and was kept entertained for the most part during the movie, but after it was over, so was my entertainment. I found nothing fulfilling in life, but life and its pleasures offered me a moment of imagined relief from my daily slavery of making money and paying my bills.
I had a small mail order business that was run from my garage. I also manufactured certain sporting goods and advertised them in national magazines. This was an addition to my regular work where I worked as a foreman of a fiberglass manufacturing business owned by my uncles. I had two cars, a home, and various other possessions which were generally average for most Americans to possess at that time.
One evening, while working in my shop, I was arrested for a moment as I considered that all my possessions could be wiped out in a moment's time. I saw that I possessed nothing that was permanent, and nothing that I could guarantee for myself the next day. In a flash, I simply stated to myself, "I will follow God then, He doesn't go away. He is dependable."
As I remember this event, it was in late winter of 1967. Not long after that, I was looking over my small orchard, trying to assess how much fruit would come on my trees that summer. It was during the time of the blossoms, and I was looking at one of my peach trees. Suddenly, a Voice to my soul came clearly, "You have one year to find Me. If you do not find Me this year, you will never find Me." The parable came vividly to my mind, "He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." Luke 13:6-9.
Immediately, I determined I would find God. I went into my house and set out to search and find Him. On my end table was a Book of Mormon my grandfather had given me. I reached for it and the Voice spoke to my soul again saying, "The truth is not there. Let that book alone." I immediately lifted my hand off the book and thought there must be some other way to God.
At the time, I was a Sunday School teacher in a local Baptist church. Even though I was not a Christian at the time, I did profess to be one. I didn't know the difference between a profession and the real thing, since in my church a profession was all that was necessary. They seemed to believe that a profession saved you, and not any real exchange of spirit was required to "get saved." During these events, I came home one day and began studying my Bible. This was something that I needed to do for my lesson that I presented in church each week.
As I studied the Bible, I was reading some of the statements of the Apostle Paul. It seemed I was reading numerous texts all saying the same thing. "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God." 1 Cor. 2:12. I knew my spirit was the spirit of the world by instinct. I would have much more preferred a good movie than listening to a man preach for an hour on Sunday. I loved the things of the world, and I looked at things the way the world looks at them. I knew, then, that I was not a Christian. A Christian does not love the world.
This threw me into a deep distress. God had shown me that I was not a Christian no matter what I believed, and no matter what my church taught, because I had the spirit of the world. I was deeply convicted for this great disparity between my profession and the truth. Frankly, I loved sin, and I could hardly wait to commit it. I was not seen as a person with gross sins, but one with "normal" sins. I liked beer and sometimes drank beer at social parties I would attend. I loved television and the exciting programs that were there shown. I loved to shoot my gun, and I loved money. I hated people who threatened me, and I loved people who benefited me. At least, I loved them in a sort of self-interested way. I was not all that interested in spiritual things. Sunday church was a duty, but not a true love of my heart. I thought God wanted me to go to church and so I did. I didn't want to go to hell, after all.
One day during these events, I was sitting on my couch watching my television. Most of my free time was in front of the set, and I would enjoy my leisure in that way. Suddenly, I was taken away from the couch in a kind of vision, and I saw myself sitting there watching the television. Instead of my body, however, I saw a cabbage. I was shown that I was a vegetable wasting my life away in someone else's fantasy. The Voice came to me, "Why are you not out living, instead of watching other people live?" I got up from my television and turned it off. I was not a television addict ever again after that.
Events were happening rapidly. One evening I was invited to a party at a neighbor's house with many of the other people on the block also present. There was the usual visiting and sharing of one's personal life and other nonsense, when the hostess came over to me and offered me a beer. I took the beer and looked at it carefully. I suddenly realized I didn't want any more beer. I left the party and never attended one again.
All of these events were taking place in short order. My life was virtually changing overnight. During these events, a Church of Christ couple had come by and were showing me little video lessons they had about Jesus. I enjoyed the fellowship and generally partook of the pleasure in our visiting concerning spiritual things. They seemed somewhat uneasy that I could so easily enjoy their company but not join their church, since they believed it was the true one. They thought all true Christians belonged to the "Church of Christ," since it had the right name on it. They could show me that name written right on their building wall. I had no conviction in regards to that building. Our studies ended.
Chapter 11, page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
