Five End Products of the Five Operations

We have stated that the five operations of the Holy Spirit result in at least five end products. The five end products are as follows:

Our ability to impart Christ to people at all levels of spiritual maturity.

The establishment of the testimony of God as the basis for His judgment of His creatures.

The creation of the Wife of the Lamb.

The creation of the Temple of God.

The imposition of Christ's rule on the peoples of the earth through judgment.

The first four end products are being accomplished during the Church Age and will be further developed and refined in the ages to come, commencing with the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The fifth end product will be established in power in association with the thousand-year rule of Christ.

The first end product: imparting Christ. Every man, woman, boy, and girl on the face of the earth is at some point between having no part of Christ at all and possessing the fullness of Christ. There are millions of people, sad to say, who never have begun in the process of redemption. They are without Christ, without God, without life, without light, without hope, without anything of eternal value.

There also are people who are pressing toward the fullness of the image of Christ, who are moving toward union with Christ, who are learning to reign from the throne of Christ's authority and power.

Each true Christian can assist others toward a further revelation of Christ. If a person is unsaved we are to guide him toward the Redeemer. If a person is weak in the faith we guide him toward a stronger faith in Christ. If a person is ill we present Christ, the Healer. If a person lacks wisdom we point toward Christ who can provide the solution to the problem.

No matter at what level of faith a person may be, we are to do what we can to help him or her along to a fuller grasp on the Lord Jesus Christ. We are directed to build up each other in the Lord, supplying, as the Holy Spirit enables, the things that are lacking whether they are spiritual or material.

To be of help is the desire of every one of us. But how do we come to the place where we are able to offer assistance to people? We come to this place by the five operations of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit assigns, exercises, and empowers gifts and ministries so we can bring ourselves and others into a fuller grasp on Christ.

The Holy Spirit is in the process of removing every satanic influence from us. Freedom from the bondage of sin on our part helps push back the bondage of sin that hinders every Christian. Every time a member of the Body of Christ makes a choice for righteousness he hastens the day when every other member will be able to throw off the yoke of the oppressor, which in turn will lead to the establishment of the Kingdom of God on the earth.

When Christ is formed in the saints He ascends to the Throne of God, as portrayed in the twelfth chapter of Revelation. Then Satan is cast from Heaven, bringing salvation and strength there. The accuser of the brothers is cast down.

The formation of Christ in the saints results in liberation for multitudes of people, just as Gideon's victory resulted in liberation for all Israel.

We assist every believer toward a fuller grasp on Christ as the Holy Spirit creates the Nature of Christ in us. When men see our good works they glorify the Father who is in Heaven. As Christ grows in us, and people gain glimpses of Christ, they are changed.

Have you ever gained a glimpse of Christ in another person? Isn't it true that you were changed permanently as a result of experiencing the melting compassion, the heavenly fragrance, the pure, holy strength of character of Christ?

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (II Corinthians 4:6)

The creation of Christ in us transforms our own personality and transforms also those with whom we come in contact. It is impossible to see Christ and not be transformed. As we grow in Christ we affect many people, who in turn affect many other people. The effect of one person who presses forward in Christ is incalculable. He will shine as a star forever.

Every time someone sins there is a breach in the harmony and peace of those around him. Every time a Christian presses forward into the Nature of Christ there is an effect of righteousness that rolls out into all the creation and bears fruit for eternity. By giving ourselves wholly to the pursuit of Christ we save ourselves and those who hear us.

The Holy Spirit comforts and guides us, leading us into the assisting of every person toward a fuller grasp on Christ. If we learn to follow the burden of the Spirit we will find ourselves speaking a word in season to him who is weary. We will possess that sense of the Lord's timing, and resurrection life so that our guiding of other people will bear fruit. The Holy Spirit's task is to present every believer perfect in Christ. As we wait on the Spirit He leads and assists us so we can lead and assist others.

The Holy Spirit inspires us to press forward in Christ, and in pressing forward we become of the greatest possible help to the rest of mankind, particularly to the members of the Body of Christ.

Have you ever come into contact with someone who is pressing on toward Christ in total dedication? Someone who is ahead of you in the Lord? Did you notice the effect it had on you, how new vistas of spirituality were opened up? How you were moved to confess to Christ your own shortcomings? How your borders were enlarged?

Christ pursued the will of God as no other person before or since has done. As a result, Christ's ministry of three years changed the course of world history. The more we press forward in Christ ourselves the more we will be able to guide other people into a fuller possession of Christ.

We have seen, then, that one of the end products of the five operations of the Holy Spirit is the enabling of us to guide people with whom we come in contact toward the Lamb of God. If the person is unsaved we are pointing the way toward the Savior. If the person already is a Christian we are prompting him or her toward a fuller grasp on Christ.

The second end product: the testimony of God.

We impart Christ to people by what we say and do in our gifts and ministries. We receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon us, and that power enables us to bear witness of the resurrection of Christ.

Also, we impart Christ to people by what we are, do, and say as a person. If Christ is being formed in us our life is becoming a holy song of praise and thanksgiving to the Father through Christ. When people see our good works they glorify our Father in Heaven.

We move people toward Christ by the testimony we give. Our testimony is the result of the Holy Spirit giving us gifts and ministries and empowering them, and the result also of the Holy Spirit demolishing sin in us and creating the Nature of Christ in us.

All effective witness of Christ comes through the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who bears witness. We are as the golden Lampstand in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. The Holy Spirit is the Oil that burns giving Divine light to the world.

The Holy Spirit reveals Christ through the members of the Body of Christ, who are the six side-branches of the Lampstand. Of our own selves we can do nothing. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals Christ.

We are to wait on the Spirit and cooperate with Him as He bears witness. The Lord Jesus Himself works along with us confirming the Word of God with signs following.

The Holy Spirit causes the Church, the Body of Christ, to be a lighthouse in this dark age, pointing the lost toward the safety of the heavenly shore. The Holy Spirit also causes the Church to be as a mother who travails in birth until the disciples are brought to the place where they can sit on the throne of authority and power and rule with the Lord Jesus throughout the ages to come. All these glorious outcomes result from the working of the Holy Spirit in the Church of Christ.

The witness of the Holy Spirit through the members of the Body of Christ is a guide for all people so they may obtain a fuller grasp on the redemption that is in Christ.

Unfortunately there are persons who reject Christ as soon as they see Him. The testimony of the Holy Spirit to such persons acts as a basis for judgment rather than as the means of redemption. The testimony of God serving as a basis for His judgment of His creatures is the second of the five end products of the Holy Spirit.

I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. (John 12:46-48)

Jesus is the light of the world and whoever believes in Him does not abide in darkness. He who receives Christ passes from darkness to light, from death to life, from condemnation to justification. Christ came not to judge the world but to save the world.

The words of Christ that bring light, life, and forgiveness of sins to those who believe will serve also as the basis for the judgment of each person who refuses Christ. If we accept Christ His testimony saves us. If we reject Christ His testimony condemns us.

If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. (John 15:24)

The witness of the Lord Jesus brings life to those who accept and death to those who reject. Jesus stated that if people have not seen the works of His "that none other man did," then they do not have sin (the sin of rejecting Him). People are not judged on the basis of a testimony that they have neither seen nor heard.

The stronger and more complete the testimony of the Body of Christ becomes, the more condemnation passes on those who reject it. The testimony of Christ is not complete apart from the working of signs and wonders. The Gospel of the Kingdom is to be presented in demonstration of the Spirit and power.

When onlookers do not see the mighty works but hear the words only, they are not judged on the same basis as those who have seen the works of Christ. When people have seen the signs and wonders by which God bears witness of the Gospel of Christ, they will accept the testimony and enter God's plan of redemption in Christ, or they will hate both Christ and His Father.

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? (Hebrews 2:4)

The same testimony produces life in the believers and death in the unbelievers.

Paul sets forth the concept:

For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? (II Corinthians 2:15,16)

The answer to the above question is, no human being is sufficient (qualified); because the assignment of people to their eternal destiny is involved here. The testimony of Christ is fashioned in us by the Holy Spirit. We save no one and we condemn no one.

As the holy God Almighty works in us His will we become the fragrance of Christ. Those who receive the testimony pass from death to life, and then to more abundant life. Those who reject the testimony pass into ever-deepening and binding death.

The testimony of Christ that was in Paul was presented before public officials.

. . . Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: . . . . (Acts 27:24)

Why did the Lord go to so much trouble to bring Paul before Caesar? Was it so that Caesar would be saved? It was so this ruler of the world and his ungodly court would come to know there is a God in Heaven and He has sent His beloved Son to be the King of the kings of the earth and Lord of the lords of the earth.

Beholding the tremendous works of Christ brings on those who witness them the opportunity to repent, or else condemnation to death.

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. (Matthew 11:20-22)

Why will it be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for Chorazin and Bethsaida? Because Tyre and Sidon did not have the opportunity to see the powerful works of Christ.

The testimony of the Church condemns as well as saves.

And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. (Matthew 10:18)

And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. (Luke 9:5)

Before Jesus returns, the Church will bear witness with signs and wonders of the coming of the Kingdom of God.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)

"For a witness."

The effect of the last witness, which will be given with unprecedented power, will be to bring multitudes to Christ. It also will serve to harden many, paving the way for the fullness of sin and rebellion in the earth. The testimony of the Church of Christ in the end-time is pictured in the eleventh chapter of Revelation.

And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3)

The two witnesses symbolize the double portion of the Holy Spirit that is to be poured on the Church of Christ as the forerunner of the appearing of the Lord Jesus.

Just as the spirit and power of Elijah prepared the way for the first appearing of Christ, so it is that the spirit and power of Elisha (the double portion of Elijah) will be on the Church just before Christ returns. The power of the testimony will divide between those who will repent and those who will not, making straight the way of the Lord.

The two witnesses are the two loaves of the feast of Pentecost. They proclaim to us: "Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." They are as Joshua and Caleb who have been in the land of promise and who bring back the grapes for the Church to see while God's people are yet in the wilderness.

The testimony of the two witnesses is at hand now and we Christians should look up to our Lord Jesus and ask for rain in the time of the harvest rain. The time for unprecedented revival is now.

The two witnesses will prophesy while clothed in sackcloth. Sackcloth is a symbolic expression meaning that the message of the two witnesses will be, "Repent! Repent! Turn away from the wickedness of the world. Believe the good news. The Kingdom of God is at hand!" The witnesses themselves will not be adorned with the finery and riches of the traditional churches but with humility and meekness.

It is time now for the saints to go to every nation, healing the sick, casting out devils, and proclaiming the soon coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as King of all kings and Lord of all lords. The Day of the Lord is at hand. Whoever will choose to call on the Lord Jesus in the present hour will be delivered. Whoever rejects His salvation and lordship will be judged.

These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks [lampstands] standing before the God of the earth. (Revelation 11:4)

The two olive trees symbolize the double portion of the Holy Spirit. The two lampstands portray the Head and Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit will be poured on the Christian Church so that the Church may show the extraordinary works of Christ.

Apart from the works of power there is no complete testimony of the Lord. It always must be true that the Lord Jesus works with us, confirming the Word with signs following. When such is not the case we have an incomplete testimony.

And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. (Revelation 11:5)

It is difficult for us to imagine a church of such power in testimony—a testimony that brings not only life to the believers but also destruction on those who reject the testimony.

It is wrong, of course, for Christians to fight back when we are persecuted for the Gospel's sake. Peter attempted to help the Lord by cutting off Malchus' ear. Whenever we fight back we succeed only in preventing someone from "hearing" the testimony. Jesus has to come and repair the damage (Luke 22:51).

The fighting back that the two witnesses do is of a different order altogether. It is illustrated in the incident of Peter, Ananias and Sapphira. The "fire" that proceeds from the mouth of God's witnesses is the Word of God. The Word of God in judgment "devours" the enemies of the Church when the Church is flowing in the fullness of the Spirit of God.

Those who lay their hand on the testifying Church just prior to the return of Christ will be slain by the judgment that results from the rejection of God's testimony. "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19).

These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (Revelation 11:6)

Catastrophes of nature will fall on those who reject the testimony of the anointed Church. This reminds us of the ministries of Moses and of Elijah and of the plagues that accompanied their testimony. We are not accustomed to seeing this type of authority and power in the Christian Church. Such authority and power will be assigned before Jesus returns, and multitudes will believe in the Lord Jesus as a result (Acts 5:1-14).

Christ spoke of the "greater works" that are to follow those who believe in Him. The works of Revelation, Chapter 11 are demonstrations of tremendous authority. These works have been reserved for the days just prior to the appearing of Christ.

We are entering the final birth pangs of the age, and the fullness of sin and the fullness of righteousness are about to be brought into being. Just before the uprising of the most horrible sinning yet practiced on the earth, the Lord Jesus will go forth with the members of His Body and bear witness of the coming of the Kingdom of God (Mark 16:20).

The Gospel of the Kingdom always reveals both the love and the wrath of God. The Gospel is the love of God working through the Church so that every man, woman, boy, and girl on the earth may see and hear the glorious good news of the Kingdom of God.

The Gospel also is the wrath of God, providing a basis for the judgment of the nations.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (Revelation 11:7)

The testimony of the two witnesses, that is, of Christ-filled saints, will be finished when the Gospel of the Kingdom has been preached in all the world for a witness to all nations—and not until then. As soon as the testimony has been completed the fullness of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit will be lifted, just as the apostolic anointing was lifted from the Church after the death of the first-century apostles and prophets.

Then the "beast" will fight against the saints and kill them. This is a representation of the overcoming of the Christian testimony. God will allow the testimony to be overcome so that the world can proceed to the full maturing of evil and filth. Wickedness cannot come to maturity as long as there remains one Christian bearing on himself the anointing that characterizes the end-time testimony.

It is not the Church that is destroyed but the "two witnesses." This is to say, the testimony, as represented by the two witnesses, will be overcome and stopped. The Church itself can never be destroyed. The gates of Hell cannot prevail against the Church. The individual member of the Body of Christ always comes under the protection of Psalms 91. Neither the world nor Satan and his forces nor tribulation nor death nor things present nor things to come can ever overcome a member of the Body of Christ. Christ cannot be overcome and His saints cannot be overcome. There is no authority or power that can overthrow the resurrection of Christ.

We do not claim that Christians will not be martyred in the days to come. We believe that many will be. Christians are being martyred now in some countries of the world. Martyring a Christian and overcoming a Christian are two different accomplishments.

Paul was martyred but Paul was never overcome. His epistles have affected the history of the world and stand today as the judge of the churches and the world.

The Holy Spirit creates the testimony that the Church of Christ is to give. The days just before the appearing of Christ from Heaven will see enormous authority and power given to the saints so that the Christian testimony may attain unprecedented power and effectiveness. The result will be the saving of multitudes upon multitudes, many of whom will seal their faith with their blood.

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:14)

Also, the nations of the earth will become hardened beyond our ability to comprehend. Human beings will give themselves over to unrestrained orgies of lust and foulness, violence and sorcery, that always have been the desire of Satan for mankind. Men will be confirmed, because of the testimony of the Church, in their murderous hatred of God and His Christ. Reader, where do you appear on this canvas?

As the holy fragrance of Christ is created in the members of the Church the testimony of God shines. To some it is the savor of life. To others it is the savor of death. No one among us is qualified to interpret or control the matters of eternal life and eternal judgment. Only the Lord Jesus is qualified to open that book.

We must give ourselves over to the Holy Spirit so He can bear witness of Christ. Then God, the Judge of all, will be able to make decisions in terms of the reactions of people to the Glory of God in the face of Christ in the Church.

We are to bear witness to all the peoples of the earth, but not by our own wisdom and strength. We are being hammered into shape as the golden Lampstand of God, but it is the Holy Spirit who is the Oil that burns, shedding the Light of Christ for everyone to see.

We have been discussing the second of the five end products of the Holy Spirit—that of the establishment of the testimony of God as the basis for His judgment of His creatures. The Church will judge not only mankind but angels as well. Let us close this discussion with a brief passage from Ezekiel, who was one of God's witnesses to God's own people.

And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them. (Ezekiel 33:31-33)

The thing that was to come to pass was described as follows:

Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed. (Ezekiel 33:29)

The testimony that is being created in us by the Holy Spirit causes us to be a lighthouse for the lost, inviting all men to enter the "ark of safety" and be saved from the wrath to come. It causes us also to challenge every person, no matter at what level of spirituality, to press forward to the fullness of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The same testimony serves as a witness against those who knowingly refuse the love of God in Christ and who choose to be in bondage to wickedness. These two end products of the working of the Holy Spirit, the edifying of those who choose Jesus and the witness against those who reject Jesus, are being accomplished now throughout the world and will continue until the Lord Jesus returns.

Three additional end products of the operations. Three additional end products of the operations of the Holy Spirit are in the formation stage now and will continue to be developed until the Lord returns. Isaiah and other prophets indicate that the three will be active throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

The three end products to which we refer are as follows: (1) the creation of the Bride of the Lamb; (2) the creation of the Temple of God; and (3) the imposition of Christ's rule on the peoples of the earth through judgment.

The Wife of the Lamb, the Temple of God, and the rulership of the peoples of the earth by the sanctified members of the Body of the Servant of the Lord, are three aspects of the one Body of Christ, the Christian Church. The five operations of the Holy Spirit result in the maturing of the Body of Christ.

The mature Body of Christ will be embraced and established of God as the Wife of the Lamb, as the eternal Temple of God, and as the Servant of the Lord who will bring justice and judgment to the nations of the earth. None of these three aspects can be utilized as long as the Body of Christ is immature.

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The Church will travail in pain during the forming of Christ, as depicted in the twelfth chapter of Revelation, until the maturity of the Body of Christ has been attained. The Body of Christ must grow to the fullness of maturity in order to serve as the Wife of the Lamb, as the Temple of God, and as the Servant of the Lord who will judge and deliver the nations of the earth and impose the laws of the Kingdom of God.

As to the creation of the Wife of the Lamb:

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25-27)

Do you believe that Christ is able to bring into being such a Church? Behold a picture of the completed Church, the Wife of the Lamb:

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the Glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; (Revelation 21:9-11)

Would you like to become part of that city? You can if you will allow the Holy Spirit to work His work of sanctification in you through the people and means that He chooses.

As to the creation of the Temple of God:

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20-22)

Would you like to see a picture of yourself as part of the Temple of God?

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12)

As soon as you have been created as part of the living Temple of God you never will leave that position. Wherever you go throughout the universe of God you will be identified as the Temple of God. The name of God will be written on you, the name of the city of God will be stamped on you, and the new name of Christ will be inscribed on you.

As to the Servant of the Lord, the Body of Christ, who will judge and deliver the nations of the earth and impose the laws of the Kingdom of God:

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. (Romans 16:20)

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:17)

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (I Corinthians 6:2)

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:1)

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (Revelation 2:26,27)

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21)

It has pleased God that the Christians participate with Christ in the destruction of Satan, and in judging, delivering, and ruling the nations of the earth. The thousand-year Kingdom Age will commence as soon as the power of Satan has been broken completely, not only in the heavenlies (Revelation, Chapter 12) but also on the earth.

We read in Revelation, Chapter 20 that one angel will hurl Satan into the abyss. Although the Scripture does not say so, we conclude that all other unclean spirits are cast down with Satan into the abyss leaving the peoples of the earth free to learn and practice the righteous ways of the Lord.

Here is an interesting fact: Romans 16:20 states that God will crush Satan under the feet of the Church. Yet Revelation, in Chapters 12 and 20, shows that God will employ angels to hurl Satan into the earth and then down into the abyss.

The cooperation between the army of angels and the army of Christians will become stronger as we approach the end of the age. Angels do not possess the authority of judgment but they do have spiritual power for battle. All judgment has been assigned to Christ by the Father; and, as Christ directs, is passed to the Church. Therefore the decisions of judgment must be determined in the Church, for it is the Church that holds the keys of the Kingdom of God.

As soon as the members of the Body of Christ have been brought to the fullness of obedience in Christ they will be given the authority of judgment that will enable the holy angels to prevail in the struggle against Satan. God stands ready to revenge all disobedience as soon as our obedience has been fulfilled.

There is abundant power in the heavenly forces of righteousness, the elect, obedient angels, to deliver every Christian from every problem, and to deliver the rest of the world also. Yet we of the Church continue each day to mount our wearying, frustrating resistance against the forces of the enemy.

Why are we not delivered by the army of elect angels? It is because the Body of Christ has not come to maturity as yet. Each day we overcome, by prayer and obedience, some obstacle placed in our path. As soon as we fulfill the will of God concerning the obstacle the army of Heaven rushes to our aid and we are delivered from bondage.

There are instances in the Book of Acts in which the Apostles were helped by angels. Jesus often was assisted by angels. Even today there are occasions when Christians are enabled to see the angels that are protecting them. The protection of the saints by holy angels is no new concept to the servants of the Lord.

If the holy angels of God guard us, as revealed in Psalms 34 and 91, and these same angels have the power to cast Satan into the earth and then into the abyss, why is it that their help to us at this time seems to be so sparing? It is because Christ has not as yet come to maturity in the Church.

As soon as Christ has been formed in the Church to the degree God envisions, God will issue the command and the elect angels will move against Satan and the forces of wickedness. Satan will be defeated in every area and the end product will be the complete deliverance of the creation.

We understand, then, that there is a close relationship between the army of holy angels and the army that is the mature Body of Christ.

God has ordained that the believers will be coheirs with Christ. Although Christ created the heavens and the earth and redeemed us with His blood, being superior to us in every way, God has stipulated that we will inherit all things along with Christ. We cannot account for such stupendous glory, for such an extraordinary inheritance. We set forth only what is recorded in Scripture.

We are to reign with Christ and to be glorified together with Him. When He appears we shall appear with Him in glory. If this is to be the case with us, we must suffer with Him now.

Christ learned obedience by the things He suffered. We are to learn obedience by the things we suffer. We must learn to endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ: hardness of mind, hardness of spirit, hardness of body, hardness of the emotions, hardness and toughness in every aspect of our personality. The hardness that we are describing is not an insensitivity toward the Lord or toward people; rather it is a steel-like hardness and toughness that enables us to perform the Lord's will on every occasion.

We need to be hard and tough in order to stand up under the workings of the Spirit as He teaches us obedience to Christ. The Lord's school of obedience is difficult for the weak and faint-hearted. Jesus will impart strength and courage to us if we ask Him.

The sides of the bronze Altar of Burnt Offering were reinforced with a network of bronze. The bronze straps are a portrayal of the hardness and toughness that must be true of the Christian if he or she is to be able to hold up his or her body as a whole burnt offering before the Lord (Romans 12:1,2).

Bronze portrays that which is strong enough to withstand the fires of judgment. As God brings us through the fire the "bronze" that He is creating in our personality is toughened so our offering will not collapse and fall apart under difficult conditions.

If we feel we are too weak to follow Jesus we need to ask God to toughen us so we can perform the Lord's will. Being an overcoming saint is possible for every Christian, but we must seek the help of the Lord continually if we are to stand in the hour of temptation and testing.

The saints are destined to judge people and angels. We must be brought to the place where we can judge our own actions before we will be ready to judge outside ourselves. It is the Lord's will that we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in judging our own actions, words, motives, and imaginations. Only then will it be possible for the Holy Spirit to utilize us in judging people and angelic beings.

Christ is the anointed Servant of the Lord. We are the Body of the anointed Servant of the Lord. It requires both the Head and the Body to make up the fullness of the Servant of the Lord. The responsibility of the Servant of the Lord is to bring justice to the nations (Isaiah, Chapter 42).

It is God's intention that every person on the earth conduct himself according to the laws of the Kingdom of God, as set forth in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, Chapters Five through Seven). The Servant of the Lord will bring about obedience to the laws of the Kingdom by first destroying every particle of Satan's work, and then by ruling over and teaching the nations of the earth. It is the mission of the Church of Christ to judge, deliver, rule, teach, and love every person on earth, as God directs.

We Christians are ambassadors of Christ. We are God's kings and priests. We are His representatives, His Temple, His Servant, that we may bring righteousness and glory to every corner of the earth. We are the firstfruits of God's creatures, the Lord Jesus Christ being the First of the firstfruits.

In order to be Christ's ambassador, His representative, His king and priest, we each must learn to be an overcoming saint. The promises of glory are for the overcomer, as set forth in Revelation, Chapters Two and Three. Being an overcomer is available to every believer in Christ.

Unfortunately, not all who bear Christ's name are victorious saints. Many Christians today are being overcome by lust, bitterness, unforgiveness, covetousness or by some other work of Satan. They have access to all the grace of God, to all the resources of Heaven. Yet for one reason or another they have been lured away from the intense seeking of the Lord Jesus.

They are putting Christ in second or third place in their life. They are selling their glorious birthright for Esau's bowl of lentil soup. They are not victorious saints, they are being overcome. The promises of glory and authority are assigned only to the overcomer.

Are you an overcomer? You can be an overcomer if you will turn over your life to Jesus, being obedient to the Holy Spirit. Do it now. You will be glad for eternity that you did.

Or is there some thing, some person, some job, some situation, some ambition, that clouds your view of Christ? If there is, ask the Lord for help. He will enable you to pass into the fullness of victorious living this moment. Christ will not accept second place in your affections and thoughts. What do you possess or wish to possess that is more desirable than Christ?

The nations of the earth are strong, tough, determined, perversely resolved to live without God. Christ and we shall shepherd them with the iron discipline of God's righteousness, breaking them into pieces like pottery. The willful stubbornness of the nations will be smashed into fragments.

It is unfortunate that people must be treated so roughly. We can observe the effects of the gentle (in most cases) Christian teaching of the past two thousand years. Sin today is more widespread than ever before and more venomous in quality. The abominations committed in the earth today are too wicked to contemplate and they are growing worse each day.

The overcoming saints are heading toward the throne of Christ. We will inherit all things and rule with Christ forever. No man decided that the throne of Christ would be the goal of Christian discipleship. This goal was established by God Almighty, who is able to perform what proceeds from His mouth.

If man had decided on such an ambition it would be sacrilegious. Because God has stated that we will ascend to the highest throne of all, we know that it will come to pass in detail. Our responsibility is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit each day of our pilgrimage and to wait until the Lord makes our enemies our footstool. God has said it, we believe it, and that is all that is necessary.

We do not establish our goals or standards by what we see in ourselves or in others, or by what we believe to be possible or appropriate. We set our standards only by what God has stated.

Jesus said, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21).

We know that one day we will be sitting on the throne of Christ because He has said so. Let us not stagger at the promise of God in unbelief. Rather, let us be strong in faith, nothing doubting, being persuaded that what God has promised He is able also to perform—not just barely perform but abundantly perform.

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