Shabbat shalom chaverim! In the absence of a Sabbath sermon today, again because of illness, I am writing this short message instead.

At the conclusion of his letter to Philemon, the apostle Paul wrote:

"One more thing: please get a [guest] room ready for me. For I hope, through the prayers of you all, Elohim (God) will give me a chance to visit you" (Phil.1:22, JNT).

For the last 30 years, since I arrived on these Scandinavian shores by ship from my English homeland with three heavy suitcases, I have preached in pulpits and sat in front of computer screens writing. In the early years I also did some traveling as an evangelist too, and occupied pulpits in the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the UK.

I have gone through a lot of computers and even more keyboards. I had to throw one out the other day as they wear out quickly once I start pounding on them with my two furious typing fingers. I am amazed they aren't ox-bow-shaped yet.

The 'church world', if I can call it that, is changing, and will disappear. That is to say, the way 'church' does 'religion' is disappearing. The time is fast approaching when we shall be returning to similar conditions that obtained in the days of the first apostles, when there were no fancy building or conference halls. People met in homes or in the elements. We need to get ready for that time because in trith it's already here.

I expect you have heard that President-for-Life Xi Jin-ping has decided to close down Christian churches in Communist China. That's a lot of churches. He's even ordered pictures with Christian motifs and texts on them be taken down in homes and replaced with pictures of himself. Millions are affected. And of course President Vladimir Putin did the same in Russia a few weeks before, putting all churches out of commission except for the 'state church' which tows the party line, rather as the Lutheran Church does here in Sweden (it's just a division of the Social Democratic Party). That's the way things are going to be everywhere. It started happening in Rwanda recently too.

The only big churches that preachers are going to be invited to are state-sponsored and state-approved ones. The Ruach (Spirit) won't be in them because what has the Kingdom of Elohim (God) got to do with the kingdoms of this world? We have to move with the new Ruach (Spirit) that Yahweh is beginning to shed on the Remnant qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones).

So get your guest rooms ready. And "do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained malakim (angels) without knowing it" (Heb.13:2, NIV). And remember, malakim (angels) or messengers can be either of the human or angelic variety. The important thing is that they carry a davar (word) from Yahweh. Be prepared for both.

"The time is short" (1 Cor.7:29a, NIV) for "this world in its present form is passing away" (1 Cor.7:31b, NIV). Those words were spoken two millennia ago so you would be safe in assuming that most of it has already 'passed'. Now is the winding up of the age as we enter the penultimate Scene of the last Act in the drama of earth's history.

Get your guest rooms ready. There're a completely different kind of 'church' or messianic community that is about to be born requiring recognition from no human authority - an underground one out of which Elijah nevi'im (prophets) will be sent to call down fire on the unrepentant adversaries. It's going to be a lot smaller, much more intimate and greatly empowered. But first you have to have a mind to let go of all the trappings and splendour of the old system. Let the spiritually dead have them because they're going to get them anyway. You don't need them. They're just museums.

"The necessities of life are water, bread, and clothing, and also a house to assure privacy" (Sirach 29:21, NRSV).

Be content with those and always be ready to announce:

"My brother has come for a visit, and I need the guest-room" (Sirach 29:27b, NRSV).