(tm) Day 2
Back to John Seventeen, Devotional
As thou hast given him power over all flesh (John 17:2)
Christ owns all the peoples of the earth. He possesses authority over all mankind. We need to hold this fact firmly in our minds during the days to come.
Great spiritual darkness even now is coming upon the world. We can feel this heaviness today. We can behold the filthiness of the flesh as human beings attempt to rid themselves of all restraints on their behavior.
God’s response is to laugh at the pitiful spectacle of the dust of the ground trying to shake off the bounds set by its Creator (Psalms 2:4).
We shall witness wicked, self-seeking men vying with one another for preeminence, each man hoping other people will think of him as God. This striving for mastery will continue in the world and in the churches until God permits a Satan-filled human to sit on the Mercy Seat in the Temple in Jerusalem—a human who works miracles and proclaims himself God Almighty. Then the Jews are to flee from Jerusalem into the wilderness because great tribulation will result from this abomination that creates desolation.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who, in the wisdom and power of God, is permitting these abominations to take place. He is the One who has been given authority over all flesh. The offenses are necessary for they are bringing into being the perfect Bride of the Lamb and the Kingdom of God.
But woe to the persons through whom the offenses come!
We are not to fret ourselves concerning the behavior of the wicked in the earth (Psalms 37 and 73). Rather, we are to lift up our heads because our redemption is drawing near. Christ will allow wickedness to come to maturity in the earth. Then He will reap the harvest, gathering it into the ovens of judgment to be burned. But the righteous will shine in the Kingdom of God.
Let us be of good cheer. Our Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world. He is Victor and Lord. He will bring us into glory as soon as we have been prepared.