Enjoyed your letters.  I apologize for taking so long to answer.  I have been overwhelmed with events and have been somewhat exhausted as well.  This letter is somewhat poorly organized and rambles, but covers some of the insights mentioned in your letters.
 
When I started this series of letters back in late February with the Biblical signs of the rapture pointing to this year and this spring, I knew that many of the doves with eyes to see would rejoice.  The patterns of creation week and the menorah then point us to the correct spring feast and by correct application we could likely tell the day of the week and perhaps the actual date or at least close.  We could even tell how it would likely unfold.  Time is close and the clock ticking.  But,......equally, I knew that God had shown me in scripture about worthiness (overcoming) and the division even within the church (body) of believers.  It was a subject which I had no doubt would be rejected by many.  I could take the easy road and be popular by not mentioning this "criteria", but I would not then be true to God and His word.  I would then be writing for my own recognition and not for God's purpose and glory.
 
When it comes to interpreting scripture, I strive to keep everything within the context of the whole.  Yet,
like all others, I see through a glass darkly.  I am sinful and wrestle with obedience to the commandments as do any other.  I do that which I should not and do not that which I should do.  It is obvious that by my efforts I will never achieve even close to perfection while still in the flesh.  If all believers were considered worthy of this reward, I would then be a lock.  As it is, I joyfully enter into this last hour of work and trust it  to Jesus to be judge.  Jesus loves a cheerful worker and as well one who trust Him, even as a child.
 
It is hard to get a handle on the specifics of "worthiness" and "overcoming", but nonetheless the concept that we should earnestly strive to be righteous is the subject of the majority of scripture.  An honest evaluation of God's word plainly indicates there is reward over and above the merciful free gift of salvation for those who would sincerely "enter into this work".
 
But, I do understand that it is my job as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ to put my hand to the plow and work this field daily.  The Holy Spirit is our helper, not our servant nor maid.  He provides guidance, a light to our path.  He does not take over and by force or magic make everything perfect nor even acceptable to the Lord. He speaks softly and meekly.  One has to "Stand or Be Still"  to hear His voice.  It is easily drowned out if we are tuned in to the noise (lust/cares) of the world.  His primary emphasis is our spiritual condition, not our material desires.
 
The idea of worthiness or overcoming is directly related to such passages as going on into spiritual maturity, crucifying our flesh, purging our sins, working out our salvation, running the race, enduring to the end, winning the prize and finishing our faith.  Paul, the same man who wrote so much about the free gift of salvation (eternal life) also wrote of these things, even pleading with strong urging for us to continue on into spiritual maturity.  He said there was a prize to be won.  Paul knew he had the free gift of salvation, but never did he say that he knew he had won the prize.  The prize was to be the bride.  It was an effort he expect to continue unto his death......at which point he would joyfully submit his works unto the judgment of Jesus Christ.  When you then look at Jesus' words as recorded by the other apostles, you see the same theme.  Salvation may be free, but it is not easy.  If it were easy, it would then be cheap and salvation is priceless.
 
As for the crops of the harvest:  I've always struggled trying to place the different crops of the harvest.  I know barley comes early and wheat usually in late spring or summer.  In fact, as a child I use to ride with Dad and my uncles on Granddad's combine to harvest wheat.  Now, I'm just a Georgia boy and compared to the Midwest this was small stuff, but still it was a fun experience.  That said, I am no agricultural expert.  Mostly raised on the outskirts of metro Atlanta.  My Dad liked to have a large garden which seemed my job to help plow, plant, then hoe and harvest.
 
There seems to be some overlap in meanings with the grain verses the fruit side of the harvest.  Such remarks as "My soul desired the first ripe grapes" or "the hasty fruit before the summer" seem to march hand in hand with the barley harvest or early grain.  Then there are comments about "summer fruit".
We can see in Leviticus 23 that the spring 7 week Feast of Weeks is about first fruits (vs 10 & 17), though this particular passage doesn't reveal exactly which first fruit grain it is talking about.  There are two loaves of fine meal and oil presented before the Lord at Pentecost (vs 17) and both are called first fruits.  It doesn't say what the fine meal is made of, but the oil is an obvious reference to the Holy Spirit.  Reckon "fine meal" speaks to that of the best quality or that which is most finely sifted.  It speaks to grain of a finer quality than normal or average.
 
Isaiah 28 is a passage about last days Ephraim (the USA).  It is somewhat similar to Revelations 18 in that one can see both the rapture of the bride and the final death and resurrection of the tribulations saints bracketing the 7 year curse of Leviticus 26.  This 7 year curse will begin upon Ephraim as the 400 year blessing ends at the 401st stripe in May 2008.  It is because we have fallen away from God.  The cursing period is meant to bring repentance and appears to progressively get worse through 3 stages.  As Ephraim was double blessed, we begin with a double curse.  It is then increased double to the double and finally it is doubled a third time.  Our primary sin is falling away from God and His commandments because of pride.  This 7 year curse is similar to Nebuchadnezzar's 7 year abasement in Daniel 4.  Here Nebuchadnezzar grows hair as eagles feathers and nails as eagles claws.  He is abased because of pride.  The difference is Nebuchadnezzar repents and recognizes the authority of God.  Ephraim, drunk with pride, will not.  At the end of the 7 year period, Ephraim will be suddenly and utterly destroyed by fire in one hours time.  There are many scriptural passages which combine to paint this picture and I will discuss many of them later.
 
Let me say that this 7 year curse is part of the laws of blessings and cursing promised by God through Moses upon the Hebrew Israelite children.  It is all based on obedience to God's word or our rejection and disobedience.  It is found primarily in Leviticus 26, but is also further expanded in Deuteronomy chapters 27 through 30.  It is a separate thing from the seals of Revelations.  The seals will also begin this spring following the rapture of the bride.  The first seal (the white horse) will begin to ride on Pentecost Sunday with the outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon the left behind tribulation saints.  This will be 10 days after the ascension of the living bride.  The seals of Revelation come upon the whole world, so Ephraim will be affected by both the curse and the seals.  The seals cover a time period of 10.5 years from the spring of 2008 to the fall of 2018.  The curse will also begin in the spring of 2008 and run into the spring of 2015 when the Satan embodied second beast comes to power at the end of the 4th trumpet.  He subdues (makes fall) 3 kings (horns turned kings)(Daniel 7:20 & 24).  The timing of this would indicate this is connected to the final destruction of Ephraim, by this time a member of the NAU.  The final fiery destruction of Ephraim will likely occur in the summer or fall of 2015.  A 1/3 surviving remnant will be carried captive scattered into the nations of the world.  After Jesus returns in the fall of 2018, all the tribes of Israel will be gathered again into the Promised Land.
 
Back to the Isaiah 28 passage.  Here as in Revelations 18 we can see this 7 year period bracketed by the rapture of the bride and finally the death, then resurrection of the tribulation saints.  In Revelations 18, we can see the rapture of the bride in verse 4.  Remember the relationship of the bride to the number 4?  We can see the final end of the tribulation saints in verse 23.  In Isaiah 28, we can see the rapture of the bride in verses 4-5 and we can see the fitches and cummin scattered and the principal wheat and appointed barley and rye cast into their place in verse 25.  When they are in their appropriate place (barn/ark/heaven), then God will deal with the tares (includes bushes) by bundling and burning them in the fire.
 
I would have you notice three separate grains mentioned (wheat, barley and rye) as there are 3 groups of those of the first resurrection, i.e. the first fruits.  I would also have you notice the words "principal" and "appointed", indicating a selection process.  There are the many (not all) OT saints which were resurrected with Jesus.  There is the pre-tribulation bride and finally there are the tribulation saints which are resurrected and ascend with the two witnesses exactly 7 years after the outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon them.  The OT saints attend the wedding as the groom's bridal party, the bride attends as the bridal party and finally 7 years later, the tribulation saints attend the wedding supper.
 
I am no agricultural expert, but it would seem to me that rye is a winter growth grain which matures in early spring.  I tend to believe this associated with the OT saints.  Barley would be the next to mature and would be the bride.  Wheat tends not to ripen until late spring or summer.  I would think this associated with the tribulation saints.  Rye and Barley would then be the first ripe fruits which the Lord's soul desires.  It would also be the hasty fruit before the summer.  Summer fruits would seem to be associated with the wheat.  I am not adamant about this as I am somewhat a novice concerning the agricultural harvest.
 
I might be wrong about which grain and fruit belongs to which group, but I am sure of what the 3 groups are and their place at the wedding.  As well, I am sure that these 3 groups are associated in chronological order with First Passover, Second Passover and Pentecost, the 1 - 4 - 7 pattern found 7 week Feast of Weeks as well as creation week, the menorah and the 7 candles before the throne.  For sure, the rapture of the bride is associated with Second Passover and it falls exactly on the 4th Sabbath Omer of the Feast of Weeks.  The groom and bride are the man on a far journey and those defiled by the touching of the dead in Numbers 9.  The groom shall rule and the bride shall rule as kings and priests with Him.  Day 4 of the 7 day creation week (Genesis 1:14,16 & 18) is associated with signs for days and years, dividing (separating) and the right to rule.
 
The latter half of Leviticus 23 deals with the fall harvest.  Verse 39 speaks to the general harvest at the end of the year and mentions the gathering in of the "fruit of the land", but not first fruits.  Definitely, God has laid out seed time and harvest as an exact duplicate of the "soul" harvest.  That is why "first fruits", i.e. those of the first resurrection (Rev 20:4-6), are associated with the spring feasts and the fall feasts associated with those of the Second Resurrection of the last day.  The fall feasts are likely also associated with Jesus' Second Advent in the fall of 2018.
 
But, lying in the middle of these two seasons (spring and fall) are mentions of "summer fruits".   I always suspected this was about the tribulation saints as this tribulation period would be a "hot" time (much increased pressure) which would ripen (spiritually mature) these individuals quickly in this shortened timeframe.  It would go hand in hand with the concept of continually returning the gold/silver into the fire to purify it to the point the refiner could see His image in the precious metal.
 
A little diversion from the Barley, Wheat and Rye discussion to the left behind virgins who are spewed out of the kingdom and into the fires of the tribulation.  Note: they have not lost their salvation.  This is about the spiritual condition of those left behind and the necessity to "finish" the act of faith or to go on into spiritual maturity.
 
The lack of spiritual maturity is the problem with the Laodecian church of Revelations 3:14-19 (the prevalent church of the last days).  I do believe the "lack of spiritual maturity"  is what is identified as wrong with the unwise virgins as well as the Laodecian church.  The root cause of this lack of spiritual maturity is their carnal (worldly) nature.  They are rich and increased with goods.  Material prosperity has been their main focus.  In Matthew 25, after the wise are changed, the unwise ask the wise where to get the "oil" (Holy Spirit).  The remark of the wise seems a little sarcastic, but it points direct to the problem of the unwise.  The wise tell the unwise to "go to those who buy and sell".  In essence, they are saying to get your mind off the material lusts of the world and attend to your spiritual needs, i.e. make your spiritual relationship to Christ that which is important.  Did not Jesus say, "Seek first the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness, and then all these things be added unto you."  Did not Jesus say those material things we acquire/store here, the thieves get and if not the thieves, then moths and rust....but those things stored in heaven these cannot reach, i.e. it is secure.  Did not Jesus say it is hard for those with riches to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  It is not the riches that present the problem, but the fact that this is where their heart is and where they put their trust.
 
Further, the Laodecian church is said to "have need of nothing".  This follows Jesus remarks about the material, but this statement is about their spiritual condition, not their material status.  Jesus' concerns for man's material needs are mentioned seldom in scripture, except to say the Father knows our needs and we should not worry about these things except day by day (tomorrow has its own worries).  Just as God fed the Israelites during their wandering day by day with manna and quail, God sent out the disciples with one set of raiment and shoes, no food and no money.  God is saying He will take care of us day by day.....trust Him.....do not worry about our physical or financial necessities.  Such trust is an action of faith and bears testimony to our faith.  That is not to say we can neglect to work, but this worry should not be our main emphasis.  Jesus' emphasis throughout scripture is always on our spiritual condition.  Our spiritual condition should then be our main consideration.
 
Jesus says here that they "have need of nothing".  That He is speaking of their spiritual status is revealed in His remarks that follow.  "Know that thou are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked?"  "I counsel thee to buy (what did the wise virgins say?) of me gold tried in the fire, that thou may be rich (goods in heaven); and white raiment (what does the bride wear?), that thou may be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness (spiritual) do not appear; and anoint thy eyes with eye salve, that thou may see (know the truth)."  "Gold tried in the fire" is the testimony of our faith. It is true faith, i.e. pure gold.  Because these of the Laodecian church are lukewarm towards God and spiritually wretched, miserable, blind, poor and naked, they are spewed out of Jesus' mouth and into the fires of the tribulation for further refining in the fire....to have their faith tested and be made worthy.  Again, they have not lost their salvation at this point, but it will be severely tested and if they do not endure to the end, they can lose their salvation.  In Mark 13:13, Jesus says, those who endure to the end will be saved.  In John 8:31, Jesus says, "If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed."  God will never lose us out of His hand if we hold on in our faith, but God will not over ride our self will and right to turn away.  He does plead for us to hold fast to our faith and endure until the end. These are necessities on our part.
 
The hour we first believe our names are added to the book of life.  It can be erased (Rev 3:5) if at any time we fall (turn) away in unbelief (Heb 3:12&14, Heb 6:4-6).  We do not lose our salvation by simple backsliding into sin.  What we are speaking of is a willful act of turning away into unbelief whether through fear or persecution or simply caring more for the world.  Saul was an example of a sinful backslider.  He sinned, but did not turn away into unbelief.  He was told that he (along with Jonathan) would be this day with the prophet Samuel (at that time in Paradise, a compartment separate from hell).  This test is brought straight to the point in the tribulation and is why Jesus made the remarks of Revelations 3:5.   Revelations 14:9-12 tells us any who take the mark or worship the beast will suffer eternal damnation.  To do this is a final act of turning away in unbelief.  The period of the seals is a trial by persecution and death which every tribulation saint will have to overcome.  It is why they will need the Holy Spirit.  But, for sure, they will have to decide between the world and Jesus Christ, even unto death.
 
After we have confessed our belief on the name of Jesus, God brings trials and afflictions to both test our faith and through this chastening produce in us the fruit of righteousness.   Our reaction to this (our actions/works) is what produces fruit.  This fruit is the evidence (proof) that our faith (belief) was real (true faith).  Otherwise our confession was mere lip service producing no fruit.  James says faith without works is dead (no value).  Faith which endures to the end (through all the trials and hardships) is true faith producing at least some fruit (evidence) that our faith was real.  This is faith tried in the fire and made pure.  This is those made worthy by the blood of the lamb, i.e. they carried their cross as did Jesus.  He is the author and finisher of our faith.  Hebrews chapter 12 is a great read on the subject of continuing on to "finish our faith" as well as the results if we do not do so.  Hebrews 11 is a great read on how our actions (works) bear testimony to our faith and is backed up by passages in James chapter 2.
 
Now to close about the church at Laodecia, the materially wealthy, but spiritually poor church.  This is the group of believers who have gone down the aisle and confessed the name of Jesus Christ, but have refused to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit to go on into maturity, crucifying the flesh, purging their sins, working out their salvation, carrying their cross and finishing their faith.  The lust for the material things of the world drowned out the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Hence, they are spiritually poor and wretched.  Jesus says in verses 19-21, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten (see Heb 12:5-11), be zealous therefore and repent.  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 (those obedient to the commandments, John 14:20-24 & John 15:14).  To him that overcometh (same as worthy, see Rev 2 & 3) will I grant to sit with me in my throne (be the bride).
 
Jesus' letter to the church of Laodecia could not be more plainly written to our spiritually immature believers of today's church, those who have no need other than confession and baptism.  These spend their time on their worldly material needs and are not rich toward God (Luke 12:21).  Theses unwise believers (virgins) will not be "changed" and ascend as the bride, but will be left behind to be tested in the fires of the tribulation.  For the most part, you will also find this group not very interesting in watching for they have a smugness of pride that says to them they are worthy......yet they are wretched and miserable and blind and naked.....and they have not eyes to see the truth.  They will not see the truth until they are left behind, then they will cry out in anguish with gnashing of teeth.
 
For those who think these unwise virgins are the Jewish faith......I will assure you those of the Jewish faith (non-Christian) will not recognize anything about this event other than UFO's and aliens.  Neither did their ancestors recognize Jesus though they saw Him face to face.  The two witnesses, when they appear in the fall of 2011, they will recognize and hear.....at least some 144,000 or so (Rev 7:2-8).  This remnant will then receive and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev 12:17).
 
Again, I apologize that this was somewhat fragmented, but it does cover some points on the subject of division and separation among the believers.
 
Keep up the good work.  We have less than 2 months.  Time is truly short and much needs to be discussed so that the doves are as well informed as possible.  As did Hezekiah, get busy cleaning out your temple.
 
Your friend in Christ,
Steve