(tm) But look what else will be true during those darkest of days
Back to What comes after Pentecost?
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. (Joel 2:32)
In the darkest hour of earth’s history, just before the return of Christ, there will be power in Zion—the Body of Christ—to deliver "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord."
Again, in chapter three of Joel:
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. (Joel 3:15,16)
At the moment of what appears to be the greatest defeat for the Kingdom of God, the Lord will take His place in the Church and roar defiantly against the enemy. Instead of weakness in that hour there will be the hope and strength of the Lord that will make each believer a Divine source of power, bringing victory over the worst evil the enemy can achieve.
It is our point of view that the preparation for the entrance of the fullness of Christ into His Church has begun already, while in the world sin is descending to foul depths. Because of the Holy Spirit’s work in us we are learning to confess our sins, opening the doors of our heart so the Lord Jesus can enter us to a greater degree.
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: (Malachi 3:1,2)
The temple of the Lord is the Body of Christ. As we lift up the everlasting doors of our heart the Lord of Armies enters, ready to do battle against His enemies. Therefore, we must confess our sins and repent so Christ can obtain victory and settle down to rest in us. We are His inheritance, His land of promise.
We notice the Glory of God during the darkest hour of earth’s history:
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be straw: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:1,2)
The destruction of the wicked on the earth is associated with the healing of God’s people and their growth to maturity.
Isaiah informs us of the manner in which God in the Head and Body of Christ, who is the Servant of the Lord, will respond to the maturing of wickedness in the earth.
The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. (Isaiah 42:13)
When will God "go forth as a mighty man"? When will He "cry, yea, roar"? When will He "prevail against his enemies"? When will all this take place?
It will happen during the night in which no man can work. The preparation for the going forth of the Lord is occurring now as we allow the Lord Jesus to enter our heart to the fullest extent, giving ourselves to Him in strict obedience and diligent discipleship.
If we accept Christ as Lord over us, the Father and the Son will make Their abode with us. Meanwhile, the peoples of the earth will bring themselves down to the lowest cesspools of filth, even as we see in our day. Sin and rebellion cause Divine judgment to fall on the nations of the earth.
Then, at the appointed hour, the Father in the Son will "roar" through the Church. The saints of the Lord will be the vessels God uses to bring utter destruction upon the kingdom of darkness.
Isaiah teaches that the darkest hour to come on the earth will be the occasion for the greatest light to arise on the saints of Christ.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:2)
We Christians are to make sure we do not allow ourselves to become troubled or afraid no matter what we see coming to pass on the earth. Rather, we are to dwell "in the secret place of the most High." If we shall keep ourselves in the center of the will of Christ, serving Him diligently, the protection of the Lord will cover us. The plagues of judgment will not come near us. No evil will befall us.
We can hide ourselves under the wings of the almighty God.
Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. (Isaiah 26:20)
By receiving the fullness of God’s Presence into our lives we shall become pillars of strength, a great help to the weaker Christians and also to the unsaved who will be tossed to and fro on the waters of violence and lust rising in the earth. We shall be prepared, as was Joseph, to nourish the family of God in the time of famine with the "manna" that Christ will pour into our souls.
No matter how dark the hour there will be light in the hearts of all the saints, just as Goshen remained lighted when Egypt was wrapped in thick darkness. Our Light will be the Father and the Son who will be dwelling gloriously in us and dining with us on the unlimited abundance of the internal kingdom.
Then, at a moment that will catch the ungodly unprepared, God in Christ will rise up in the Church. The Lord will roar out of Zion. He will bring terrible destruction on His enemies. The Lord Jesus will descend from Heaven and the powers of darkness will find themselves surrounded on every hand by both the internal and the external ferocity of the Kingdom of God.
Christ will be in the saints, saving those who call on the name of the Lord. Christ will be with the saints, coming in external form in the clouds so every eye will see Him. The external Christ, the avenging Lamb, will hurl down the thunderbolts of God on the wicked. Their destruction will be total. The memory of sin will be wiped clean from the planet Earth.
Then will the creation break forth into singing. All of nature will be released into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. The saints will have God and Christ eternally in them, and God and Christ without in the external kingdom. Can you think of anything more wonderful than that?
"So shall we ever be with the Lord"!
Back to What comes after Pentecost?