To be a governor of the nations.
To be a governor of the nations.
He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father, (Revelation 2:26,27)
Perhaps this governorship includes the thousand-year Kingdom age as well as the rule of the saints over the saved people from the nations who are living on the new earth. However I am inclined to think it is referring especially to the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
One of the greatest problems in America, it appears to me from reading the paper, is the self-seeking of the civic officials, from the mayor of the smallest town to the president of the United States.
One newspaper commented recently that people expect politicians to lie. We in America may pride ourselves on our democracy. Right at this time it appears that one of the highest of the leaders of government is doing whatever he wants, and it appears that the American citizens and the Congress cannot stop him.
Our Constitution was crafted with the idea the politicians would be people of integrity, and for the most part, in agreement with the moral teachings of the Bible.
This no longer is true in America. Christ and His Bible are being scorned in many quarters. Some members of the government never refer to God or Christ. When I was younger, it often was the case that presidents and other leading figures spoke of the Bible and encouraged times of prayer.
Several years ago, the Lord told me that America would be reduced to being a third-class nation and the leadership of the world will move to "an Eastern nation." He did not say what nation, and I am not going to guess.
I did not realize God would use leaders who are not familiar with our deepest moral and cultural traditions, having been trained from childhood by teachers of other religious persuasions. to destroy our nation from within.
And so I am upset every day to see what obviously are destructive practices, leading to the weakening of our country. When I go to the Lord, He says, "I told you so." Divine judgment is upon us because of abortion, perverse sexual behavior, drugs, and other problems.
I do Christ's will even above the welfare of my country, and so I cannot complain. Instead I try to draw closer to the Lord Jesus, and encourage all the members of our congregation to do the same.
Living in America at this time, I can appreciate the desirability of having the Lord Jesus and His victorious saints governing the nations of the earth. We no longer will have to worry about national bankruptcy or wars, only about obeying the precepts of the Sermon on the Mount, which I believe the various national governments will enforce.
And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)
The Law already has gone forth from Zion. The Word of the Lord has gone forth from Jerusalem. It is the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Won't it be a wonderful day when "many people" go up to Jerusalem to be taught the Word of Christ by God's sons and daughters!
Our leaders of today might scoff at such an event. But after seventy years of serving the Lord Jesus, I assure you it shall take place exactly as written.
No Word of God through His Prophets shall ever fall to the ground. All shall be fulfilled in its time!
To be a judge of people and angels.
Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? (I Corinthians 6:2,3)
The Lord Jesus told His disciples that they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. They will go from ordinary people following the Rabbi Jesus to one of the most exalted positions in their nation.
Paul says the saints will judge the world, and also angels. God prefers that we stay humble in this life. If we will walk humbly with God, the day will come when the resurrected people of the nations come before us, as we are seated on the great White Throne.
Angels also will appear before us.
If we have made ourselves of no special importance in the present world, regarding our state as a son of God, when God makes all things new in Christ we will have the authority to determine the destinies of people. This is an awesome responsibility.
We can understand from this how important it is that we continue to live in the rest of God—even after we die. All sin must be removed from us. It is of special importance that all self-will is removed from us. We always must be in a state of strict obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It appears that sometimes judges on the earth are influenced by factors that have little to do with fair decisions. It may be money, or politics, or fear, or from some other personal desire or motivation.
It shall not be so with God's judges, who are His own offspring.
One of the principal roles and tasks of Christ, Head and Body, is to bring justice to the nations. The meek of the earth who are decent people will be established in security and well being.
Those who have stepped on others as they have clawed their way to wealth and power will be brought low. If they do not bow their knee to the Lord Jesus, or if they have not been kind to the Lord's disciples, the eternal fire will be their home.
The world of today is filled with injustice of every sort. It appears that sometimes even the courts are persuaded by political or public pressures. One of the most honored principles in the minds of Americans is "the rights of people." However, to give one person his or her rights may mean that someone else's rights are ignored.
"Lawlessness" is the mark of Antichrist, and we see that spirit manifesting itself in our day.
God's judges will be trained until there is a rod of iron righteousness in them. They will exercise judgment without partiality. They will not be moved by any factor except what they are hearing from the Lord Jesus. Thus their judgment always will be just.
If there is a greater need in the world of today, I do not know what it is.
To be a soldier in the army of the Lord.
They do not crowd each other, They march everyone in his path; When they burst through the defenses, They do not break ranks. (Joel 2:11)
I realize that many scholars regard the second chapter of the Book of Joel as referring to locusts. However, if one will consider carefully verses 1-11, he or she may come to the same conclusion as I have, that, as is true of other passages of the Prophets, there is a double meaning here.
Kingdom truth is couched in physical circumstances understandable to the Israelites of the time. If I am not mistaken, Joel 2:1-11, is referring to the Day of the Lord and the armies of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is my point of view that this attack on civilization is not the same as the attack of Armageddon, described in the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation. It is, I think, a description of the cleansing of the earth in preparation for the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
I believe it will occur after the armies of saints and angels have destroyed the armies of Antichrist, and have removed Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet from the earth.
Joel's army is a "great and mighty people." This hardly is a description of the undisciplined congregations of most American churches. We see from this further proof that it will be only a godly remnant who will experience the change in the body and the ascension when Jesus appears.
"The land is like the garden of Eden before them," signifying that the Antichrist civilization will be filled with peace and prosperity. Joel's army shall slay all the wicked people of the earth and demolish the Antichrist institutions.
"They run like mighty men. They climb the wall like soldiers; and they march every one in line." This simply is not a description of today's believers, for the most part. Perhaps this is why scholars say the passage is referring only to locusts.
But does the earth quake and the heavens tremble when there is a plague of locusts?
"The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome." Since when is a plague of locusts referred to as the Day of the Lord?
Perhaps more consideration should be given to what the passage actually states.
If I am not mistaken, the forming of Israel into an army occurred after the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai.
And the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. So they moved out for the first time according to the commandment of the Lord through Moses. (Numbers 10:12,13)
God did all the fighting when Israel left Egypt. But after the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, Israel was approaching their goal, the land of Canaan. Now God will not do all the fighting. It required the efforts of both God and the Israelites to conquer the land of promise.
I believe this is true today. Christ did the fighting in Gethsemane and on the cross to secure our deliverance from the power of Satan. But to enter our goal, the rest of God, we are going to be required to do the fighting, with the help of Christ.
We Christians of today are charged with the responsibility of driving all sin and self-will out of our personality. It is a personality filled with Christ, free from sin and self-will, and clothed in an incorruptible body, that is our goal, our land of promise.
As soon as this is true of us, we will, along with the Lord Jesus, inherit the saved people of the nations of the earth.
I am not certain the believers of today are going to be happy with the task they are facing. It may be true that only a godly remnant will follow the Lord Jesus Christ into the rest of God. This accounts for the following passage:
And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. (Hebrews 3:18,19)
It may be true that the approaching moral and physical chaos that rapidly is approaching our country will cause some of the casual Christians to press closer to the Lord Jesus so they may enter the rest of God. Then they will be qualified and competent to follow Jesus into battle.
To be a wall of defense around the Glory of God.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:14)
Of all of the people and activities we would enjoy seeing in the new Jerusalem, we are confronted with a high, thick wall having a heavily ornamented foundation. Kind of disappointing, isn't it?
But the wall of the new Jerusalem has been constructed as the Divine response to the original rebellion of the angels.
Much of the description of the new earth is symbolic.
The names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb are in the twelve foundation stones of the wall. This tells us that the wall against sin and self-will has been founded on the ministry of Christ's Apostles.
The various colors of the wall all are symbolic of phases of the Divine redemption.
I have mentioned previously the symbolism of the River of Life and of the Tree of Life.
So we do not see the people or activities inside the wall. The wall forever keeps sin and rebellion from the Presence of God and the Lamb. This is what is of supreme importance to God. He is forming an army today that will insure that sin and self-will are never again permitted to occur in the Paradise of God.
The promises of God are to the victorious saints. They are the wall against sin and rebellion.
We must drive out of us all sin and selfish ambition.
We notice in the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation that the Lamb is standing on Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem that is to descend to earth in the future, with His godly remnant.
The fact that the Lamb is standing is of the utmost significance.
The Father spoke to the Son and commanded Him to sit at His right hand until the Father puts His enemies under His feet.
The Lamb is standing today with the Firstfruits of His Church, both in the spirit world and on the earth. He will help them drive all sin and self-will from their personalities.
In the past there have been various programs advanced to deal with sin. No doubt there have been many stalwart believers who have gained victories over sin and self-will. They have been as scouts who were in advance of the wagon train.
Now a larger part of the Church has come to the place where the Lamb is ready to make His enemies His enemies a footstool for His feet, as the Father has commanded Him.
Therefore, when we begin to drive out of our personality all that is not of the image of the Father, we notice that the Spirit of God has given us new wisdom and strength to put our enemies to death.
But the Lord your God will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. He will deliver their kings into your hand so that you will make their name perish from under heaven; no man will be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them. (Deuteronomy 7:23,24)
Next Part To be the revelation of God in Christ.