The Daily Word of Righteousness

Two Hopes; Two Armies; Two Resurrections, continued

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (I Thessalonians 4:16,17—NIV)

"Will rise" (above) means rise from the dead. It does not mean rise into the air. First we are resurrected from our place of burial or interment. After that we are caught up to the Lord.

There can be no catching up of the believers until after they are resurrected, and any believer upon being resurrected will be more than a match for Satan. He will be immortal. He does not have to be carried off to Heaven in order to escape Satan or the great tribulation. This is ridiculous!

Of course, the ninety-first Psalm will hold true during the tribulation so we have nothing to fear even if there were to be no further work of God on our behalf.

But there is a marvelous scriptural hope for the future, an ark of safety that will ride serenely on the waters of judgment.

The hope is that of being filled with all the fullness of God.

And to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19—NIV)

There are three great works of grace: salvation, Pentecost, and finally the fullness of the "Tabernacles" experience. We are moving past Pentecost today and entering a deeper, fuller work of Christ in us, an infinitely more demanding work. Christ is being formed in people today as never before. Now is the time for the holy nation to be "born at once."

Being saved and filled with the Spirit make it possible for God to bring us into His ultimate intention for us, which is that we become His house.

In the Father's house there are to be many rooms, many living stones. The Lord Jesus is the chief Cornerstone. We also as living stones are being built up into the stature of the fullness of Christ by that which every joint supplies.

Being saved makes some demands for change on us.

Being filled with the Spirit makes more demands for change on us.

But to become the eternal house of Christ and God makes total demands on us.

The fire of God is ready today to burn the worldliness out of us.

The fire of God is ready to burn the passions and lusts out of us.

The fire of God is ready to burn the seeking of preeminence and personal ambition out of us.

In order to be made ready for the full indwelling of God we have to have integrity—absolute integrity of character.

Many believers have integrity of character and many do not. Those who do not are found in abundance in the churches but they will leave when God begins to purge His temple.

Is God dealing with you? No doubt He is if you are an experienced Christian. Your troubles are designed to drive you into Christ so you may be prepared for the fullness the Lord has in mind to give you.

To be continued.