"A voice from the temple"
A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompense to his enemies. (Isaiah 66:6)
In the above verse the "city" is Jerusalem, the Church of Christ, the Zion that is in Heaven at this time and from which every Christian is born (Galatians 4:26). It is the "Lamb’s wife" (Revelation 21:9).
The "temple" is the Temple of God, again, the Church of Christ (I Corinthians 6:19). The work of the Church is to destroy the enemies of the Lord. The intention of God is that the Church tread on all the power of the evil one and finally crush his head.
Tearing down and removing the power of evil is the role, the service, of the Church of Christ. It is the wisdom of God that the Church first suffer every pain and humiliation at the hands of the lords of darkness. Then, when the obedience of the Church has been fulfilled, the Church will be the instrument of vengeance in the hands of the Lord God (Isaiah 41:15; II Corinthians 10:6).
The Church of Christ will be the judge of men and of angels (I Corinthians 6:2,3).
John the Baptist cried, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2).
Two thousand years ago the Kingdom Age, in the Person of Christ, was about to appear. Christ is the King of the Kingdom of God.
Today we are at the very gates of the Day of the King. The Scriptures teach us that when the moment of judgment arrives the Church suddenly will bring forth an army of saints who will go through the earth and tread down all the works of darkness.
Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. (Isaiah 66:7) Christ was born of Mary before the Church travailed.
Now the Church is travailing and Christ is being born in the saints.
Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (Isaiah 66:8)
The above passage emphasizes the suddenness with which the army of the Lord will be raised at the coming of Christ. It will be as in the case of Gideon’s three hundred men who were stationed, each in his place, "round about the camp" (Judges 7:21). After they had been equipped and arranged so the enemy was surrounded, they were revealed suddenly. Isaiah inquires: "Will the earth be made to bring forth in one day?"
Paul responds: "He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make on the earth" (Romans 9:28).
In our day the Church may seem to be dry and hopeless: "Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts" (Ezekiel 37:11).
In a moment the Spirit of God will "breathe on these slain" and create an invincible army (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. (Micah 5:3)
It is the Deliverer, Christ, the Servant of the Lord, who is being created by the travail of the ministries of the Church. The "man child" born of the Church is Christ in His Church, which is "the fullness of him that filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:23).
The saints in that day will be as David’s mighty men, going forth to war with Christ at their head, treading down lawlessness, tearing down evildoers and their works, and "none can deliver" out of their hands (Micah 5:8).
Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. (Isaiah 66:9)
The Kingdom of Christ is associated with tribulation and patience (Revelation 1:9). We of the Church of Christ are required to learn the patience of Christ and to wait with Him until His enemies have been made His footstool (Psalms 110:1).
The hope that keeps us from becoming discouraged is that God will not bring us to the point of birth into His glorious power and liberty, and then fail to "open the womb" so we never can experience that for which we have been waiting with such joyful expectancy.
We must wait patiently for God. Our vindication will come in God’s time and by His power. The Church will have the "last laugh," the ultimate victory (Isaiah 37:22). God Himself laughs in derision at those who would resist His Anointed One. Let us learn to laugh with God at the enemies of Christ. (Psalms 2:4).
What a Day! What a Day is coming, and even now is upon us! The Kingdom of God is coming into the earth. All the glorious blessings seen by the prophets of Israel are available to whoever will reach out and grasp the fullness of Christ.
The authority and power to deliver from spiritual oppression is found only in the Christian Church because it is in the Church that Christ is dwelling, and God in Christ.
Let us of the Church look to Christ in faith that we may go forward, walking every one "in his path" (Joel 2:8). Let us request of the Lord, as Peter did, to command us to walk on the waters of perplexity and distress and to bring the blessings of the Kingdom of God to everyone to whom the Spirit of God sends us.