Being Born Again for War
Being Born Again for War
The War Against Evil
The Trumpet Is Sounding
We Always Are Being Born Again
The Many Sons Are Born For War
The Birth Of The Male Son
When The Seventh Angel Is About to Sound
The Bread From Heaven
Triumphalism And The False Prophet
The War Against Evil
Because of the rebellion of Satan and the angels, evil has entered the creation. God is not pleased with this. He sees what is taking place in the world and this is upsetting to Him. He is creating in mankind a house and place of rest for Himself.
It is man whom God has chosen to provide the answer to the problem of evil in the universe. But the adamic man is helpless in the war against evil. It is only as Christ is born and formed in us that there is the wisdom and power necessary to overcome satanic evil.
God has decided to build a Kingdom over which He will reign. God began with His appointed King of the Kingdom, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ proved His obedience to God in the Garden of Gethsamane. The issue always is that of obedience, whether by Christ or by us.
Christ lived for untold eons in the spirit world but learned obedience in the earth. Redemption must proceed in the spirit world; but we develop character during our life on the earth.
We must die to our own will and learn stern obedience to the Father if we are to press toward the conquest of evil. When we bow to the will of God, and surrender our own will, we discover that our will becomes sharper than ever.
The helpless adamic man can do little in the war against evil, except obey Christ. Then the Lord Jesus will lead him through the several steps of redemption, commencing with forgiveness through the blood of the cross.
After we have turned away from the world and have embraced Christ, we are born again. Christ is born in us and begins to be formed in us. Christ's whole purpose in life is to obey the Father, as the Father begins to clear disobedience, the disobedience of Satan and his friends, out of the universe.
Evil finally shall totally, entirely, uncompromisingly, be removed from the Presence of God by the Father working through Christ and His Body.
The plan of salvation, of redemption, cannot be comprehended until an individual understands that he was born again in order that Christ might use him or her in the war against evil.
Canaan, the land of promise, represents the Kingdom of God, the rule of God, the rest of God---that into which we are to press as the Lord Jesus leads us. As of now, our Canaan is inhabited by Satan and his crowd. So we are being prepared for war.
The kingdom of God, the will of God, is to fill the entire creation, including the earth.
Bitter, relentless, fierce, take-no-prisoners war. Our task is to follow Christ, becoming part of Him, thinking as He thinks; speaking as He speaks; acting as He acts.
Some are talking today about what great things the churches are going to do if they will follow this or that plan. The truth is, the Christian churches can do little or nothing in the eternal battle against evil. Christ. only Christ, can drive out evil and establish the will of God, the Kingdom of God, in the earth.
For two thousand years the Gospel of the Kingdom meant we could be forgiven of our sins. We then added that the purpose of forgiveness is so we can go to Heaven when we die and live there permanently.
Now that God is ready to lead us into battle against evil, we see that the goal is not eternal residence in Heaven but the cleansing from the entire creation of all disobedience to God.
As you might imagine, such cleansing must begin with you and me, if we are going to wage war against evil. We must confess and turn away from our sins as the Spirit leads us, and permit the Spirit to crucify our self-will. This is what is going on today.
This is not the time to march against the external enemy. We ourselves must first be conquered.
The Trumpet Is Sounding
The trumpet is sounding in the spirit world. Christ is coming to whoever will receive Him in order to address the areas of sin and disobedience that are in us. It is time now for Christ to come to sufficient maturity in us that we can participate with Him in the war against evil.
"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)
The emphasis today is on Christ in us; the Father and the Son coming to dwell in us. We cannot do much about evil until the Godhead is dwelling and working in us.
Whatever good the teaching of "lawless grace" may have done, it has caused a tremendous loss of spiritual maturity on the part of the believers. God is moving today in an unprecedented manner. The only way by which we can move with God is by keeping the commandments given by the Lord Jesus so that God and Christ can live in us.
The way "grace" ordinarily is preached, the believers will continue under the impression that it is "nice" if we keep some of the commandments of Christ and His Apostles; but such obedience has nothing to do with our salvation.
Could there be a more destructive doctrine!
The actual truth is, we show our love for Christ by keeping His Word and the Words of His Apostles. If we do not, we are not a candidate for participation in the present climactic works of God.
We Always Are Being Born Again
The Lord Jesus always is standing at the door of our personality. He always is knocking. We always should be opening to Him. We always should be dining with Him—He on our obedience and worship; we on His body and blood, which are our resurrection and life.
We always are being saved. We always are being born again.
Think of a fertilized human egg. At initial conception it divides so there are two cells, and then four, and so forth. The baby is being born as a zygote, an embryo. The embryo becomes a fetus. The baby is being born as a fetus. The fetus becomes a viable personality. The baby is born as a person. The baby emerges into the world. The baby is born and takes his or her place in the family.
All of this is the forming of the child.
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. (Galatians 4:19)
"Is formed in you."
The same process that takes place in a human being takes place also in the Kingdom of God.
What ordinarily we term "born again" actually may refer to initial conception, the passing from death to life at the moment of belief and water baptism!
The Many Sons Are Born for War
You may notice in the following passage the birth of one Son, and then of many children.
Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve."Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children." (Isaiah 66:6-8)
The reason for the birth of Christ, and then Christ being formed in us and dwelling in us, is that God may be able to repay His enemies "all they deserve."
Christ, the Son, was born apart from a travail of the Church.
But when Zion, the Church, travailed, a number of children were born.
Let us turn now to examine a picture of the children being born of the Christian Church.
The Birth of the Male Son
Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who "will rule all the nations with an iron scepter." And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. (Revelation 12:4,5)
The stars swept out of the sky and flung to the earth by the tail of the dragon are Christians who had been in Christ at the right hand of God but who then were deceived by the Dragon. We have seen such Christian victims over the last few years.
It (Antichrist) grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. (Daniel 8:10)
The Woman is Zion, the Church.
The Male Son is Christ who is being formed in us at this time.
There is a play on the singular and plural. There are many children; but in another sense they are one Person—Christ.
I have been teaching for several years that God wants us to learn to live by the Life of Christ until we are thinking as He is thinking; speaking as He is speaking; and acting as He is acting. All of our being and behavior are to be in concert with Christ, just as Christ lives in concert with the Father.
Do you remember Paul said: "I am not living any longer. It is Christ who is living in me"?
God intends to cleanse the earth of evil. The evil is coming from Satan and his angels and demons. Satan and his angels are mighty lords of ancient cunning. We are flesh. We are no match for them. We can do little or nothing about the proliferation of evil until it is Christ, the Male Son, who is thinking, speaking, and acting in us.
As a side note, let me suggest that the demons never were angels, nor did Satan create them. Satan cannot create living beings.
I have concluded that the demons at one time were people who refused to be delivered from sin and self-will. They are grotesque, showing in themselves the nature of their sin.
You can see what these rebellious humans look like in the demon masks and statuary of the Chinese, Buddhists, and Hindus.
The Lord Jesus Christ is willing and able to release anyone from the bondages of the demons and their own self-will. But we must be willing, and cooperate with Christ.
You may notice in the Book of Daniel that some people are resurrected to shame and everlasting contempt. I think this is because they appear in the likeness of demons.
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)
You may have observed that the faces of people who have lived in sin for many years begin to reveal their depraved state. This especially may be true for those who have reveled in sexual lust.
We humans are creatures of dust. We cannot drive evil from the creation. But the Male Son can. When He comes to maturity in us, we then shall be able to attack Canaan, the present home of rebellious spirits, to speak in a figure.
We cannot invade and conquer Canaan. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can do that!
When the Seventh Angel Is about to Sound
But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." (Revelation 10:7)
The days prior to the sounding by the seventh angel. These are the days we are in now. What will be true at this time?
The mystery of God will be accomplished.
What is the mystery of God?
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
You may not regard Christ in us as being a great mystery, but reflect for a moment.
What do we celebrate at Christmas? Christ with us.
What do we celebrate at Easter? Christ with us.
How many sermons have you heard that emphasize Christ in us?
Yet, the idea of Christ being in us is the most important factor of the Kingdom of God. First, Christ is formed in us. Then the Father and the Son come and abide in that which has been formed in us.
My personal belief is that the spiritual work of Christ being formed in us is to take place just before the seventh angel sounds. When the seventh angel does sound, the kingdom of the world shall become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.
But how about the generations of Christian in the past who presently are in the spirit world? Will Christ be formed in them as He is being formed in us?
I believe so. If the program of redemption were to cease when we die physically, none of the Hebrew Prophets could be born again, and thus could not enter the Kingdom of God.
No person can enter the Kingdom of God other than by being born again. He who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than any person who is not in the Kingdom. This is because Christ, who Himself is the Kingdom of God, is in those who are in the Kingdom.
And no person was born again until Christ rose from the dead and made His body and blood available to us. It is by receiving His body and blood that we are born again. We are born of His body and blood.
So, yes. Those in the spirit world are progressing in the program of redemption along with us. Otherwise the Bride would not be without spot or wrinkle.
For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. (I Peter 4:6)
Also, they could not participate in the war against evil if Christ is not formed in them. However, the knowledge of what is taking place in the program of redemption always is made known to those in the spirit world, through God's servants in the earth.
"Hear, O Heavens, and give ear, O earth!" Isaiah proclaimed. The message comes first to those in the spirit world, but it always comes through those on the earth. Such is true of all the Word of God. The Ten Commandments are an example of this.
Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them. (Deuteronomy 31:28)
Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; hear, you earth, the words of my mouth. (Deuteronomy 31:28)
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39,40)
Actually those in the spirit world are closer to us and more involved with us than we may understand.
Notice that the emphasis on Christ being in us will occur just prior to the seventh angel sounding his trumpet; just prior to the taking over the rulership of the world by the Lord Jesus Christ.
I would suggest that we now are in the days immediately preceding the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet.
But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." (Revelation 10:7)
This means that the return of the Lord, and the making alive of our mortal bodies, is close at hand.
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (I Corinthians 15:51,52)
"At the last trumpet, the seventh trumpet"!
It is interesting to note that the morning star, heralding the Day of the Lord, arises in our heart while we are coming to maturity in Christ. As we continually consider the many prophecies found in the Old Testament, we come across various aspects of the Kingdom of God that are revealed in the Hebrew Prophets, and they are helpful to us.
We also are to obey the many commandments found in the writing of the Apostles, asking Christ for wisdom and for strength in keeping them, Christ then is formed in us until we keep God's moral laws by nature.
This is the working of Christ, the Day Star, and is the goal of the new covenant.
We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (II Peter 1:19)
It all comes together, doesn't it? To think that we are living in the day when the Lord Jesus is ready to bring us into our land of promise! But we must be utterly faithful in obeying Christ as He helps us turn away from our sins; and also humble ourselves as He destroys the self-will from us. Otherwise we will be unable to enter with Him into the fullness of God's will and Presence.
The Bread from Heaven
As we press on in Christ, going from victory to victory, we are given to eat of the flesh of Christ and to drink His blood.
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. . . . (Revelation 2:17)
I cannot possibly overemphasize the importance of continually eating and drinking of Christ until we are living by His Life. The False Prophet already is arising in the world, and we are going to have to be part of Christ, not merely Christian believers, if we are to be able to survive the deceptions that are at hand. More about this in a minute.
Christ wants to enter us and live in us. We always have believed this, but today it is becoming much more urgent.
Christ, and Christ alone, can overcome the world, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. We cannot possibly do this in our adamic nature. We can read our Bible and pray every day, and still be deceived.
The only protection from deception I am aware of occurs when we resolve to set aside our own life, take up our personal cross of deferred desires, and follow Christ at each moment.
In order to kill our self-will, Jesus sometimes permits Satan to place us in some kind of undesirable circumstance.
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown. (Revelation 2:10)
Notice that the reward for remaining faithful in our prison is "life"—the eternal, incorruptible, resurrection life that is the victor's crown." That life, that crown, will enable us to invade and conquer our land of promise.
Deception will be a powerful factor from now on, so that even the elect may be deceived. We must at once ask the Lord Jesus to help us confess and turn away from our sins. We also must learn to live cheerfully with our fondest hopes deferred for a season—perhaps for all of our life.
In short, we must place our treasures in Heaven. If we remain faithful, our treasures, if they truly will bring us righteousness, love, joy, and peace, will be ready for us when our time comes.
He who lives by continually eating and drinking of Christ shall never die. When he dies physically, he shall continue to serve Christ with his faculties intact. It will be as though he never died, for he will continue in God's Presence just as he did while living on the earth.
Next Part Triumphalism and the False Prophet