A Call to Come Higher
Wade E. Taylor

“The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying to Him, Get thee out, and depart hence; for Herod will kill You. And He said to them, You go, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day, I shall be perfected.”  Luke 13:31-32

Peter gave us the principle that a Scriptural “day” can be considered as being a “thousand year” period of time.  Thus, we are approaching the end of “today and tomorrow” - the fullness of the Church Age.  The Lord created all that was created in six days, and rested on the seventh day.  There were four of these time periods in the Old Testament, and two in the New Testament.  Presently, we are at the end of the sixth day.  The seventh day, as a “thousand-year” day, is the Millennial Day.

Exodus 19:3-11 and 20:18-19 records the Lord offering His manifest presence to Israel.  The people were to wash their clothes “today and tomorrow” so as to be ready on the “third day,” when the Lord would come down in the sight of all the people.

“It came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people who were in the camp trembled ... And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.”  Exodus 20:16, 18

When Israel reacted to the manifestation of His glory, they missed their opportunity to enter the Millennial Day, and it was given to the Gentiles; to those “who were not a people” (I Peter 2:10).  Notice that this took place on the “the morning of the third day.”  This spoke of the completion of their preparation in the wilderness to enter Canaan.  It was the birthing of a new day, when the Lord Himself made an attempt to abide in their presence.

The “morning” also speaks to us concerning the closing out of the second day, the Church Age, and the birthing of the Third Day, the Millennial Day.  Hosea, prophetically referring to the Church Age, said:

“After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.”  Hosea 6:2

We are now approaching this third day, in which He will raise up His body, the Church.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”  Revelation 3:20

In the past, I related this Passage to the Laodicean Church because they were more interested in the blessings which the Lord provided, than in the Lord Himself, as seen in verse 17.

“Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”  Revelation 3:17

I saw the Lord as being outside, trying to get back into His Church.  There is truth in this statement, but the meaning is far deeper.  Instead, the Laodicean Church is the seventh and last Church, which is at the end of the Church Age.  Therefore, the door is shut because there is nothing further.  There is only one way to go - upward into the presence of the Throne.  An indication that we are in the Laodicean Church Age is a “prosperity” message, which is the prevalent message of our day.  Because of this emphasis, the Lord said:

“I counsel you to buy of Me gold tried in the fire that you may be rich.”  Revelation 3:18a

Actually, it is not prosperity that is the problem.  Rather it is a satisfaction with prosperity, as they said they needed nothing.  The Lord would have us to seek the true riches, which are spiritual.

Hosea told us that after two days, the Lord would revive us, and on the third day He would raise us up.  This confirms the closed door at the end of the second day of the Church Age.  Horizontally, we have gone as far as we can go; the only way to go further is to answer the vertical call into His presence.

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter, And immediately I was in the Spirit: and, behold, a Throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the Throne.”  Revelation 4:1-2

This “voice as a trumpet” is saying exactly what Hosea said.  It is an end-time prophetic message, which expresses a present urgency.  The Lord is telling those who will respond, that they are to come higher in vision, so He can show them things which will come hereafter.  This has to do with the closing out of the Church Age, and our introduction into the Kingdom Millennial Age.

The Church, as a corporate body is to be caught up to be joined to the Head, our Lord Jesus Christ, as He descends in His “Parousia” to meet us.  This is a spiritual prophetic enabling of His manifest presence, rather than our physically being taken from the earth realm.  It is the Lord becoming visible to His body, the Church.

The “things hereafter,” which will be shown to those who respond to this upward call, have to do with understanding the opening of the seals, trumpets, and vials, as they unfold in the tribulation that will close out the Church Age and usher in the Kingdom Age.

John said, “Immediately, I was in the spirit, and behold a throne.”  This is an overview of the promise to the overcomers:

“To him who overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My Throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His Throne.”  Revelation 3:21

This is the perfection of which Jesus spoke in Luke 13:33, that on the third day, He would be completed.  This completion is the mature Body of Christ caught up and joined to the Head, in relation to the functioning of the Throne.

Presently, the body of Christ is on earth as a “headless body.”  Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, ever living to make intercession for us, as a “bodiless head.”  This perfection is the bringing together of the body and the head, to function as one, before the Throne.

We are living in a marvelous day, in the time when it is possible to hear this call to come higher.  As we do, an end-time authority will be given to those who respond as overcomers.

Then the world will see the witness of an empowered Church which has the mind of Christ, and moves in the power and authority of His will and purpose.