The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Antichrist, The False Prophet, and the Image, continued

They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from dread of the LORD and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. (Isaiah 2:21—NIV)

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."  (Hebrews 12:26—NIV)

What is God doing? God is preparing to avenge Himself on the rebellion that occurred before the earth was created. God is going to shake every creature on earth and in the heavens until all that is not founded on Christ is removed from its position of influence.

God began with Jesus in Gethsemane. Next in order are the overcomers. If they overcome rebellion and sin through Christ they then will sit on the throne of judgment with Christ. They will govern, judge, and otherwise take care of the creation of God. These are God's kings, the kings that will come from the East, from the rising of the sun of the morning of the Day of the Lord. Jesus is King of God's kings.

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4—NIV)

The above is the first resurrection, the resurrection of the royal priesthood. In order to participate in this resurrection, the one that will occur when the Lord returns, the believer must be "beheaded," this is to say, he must abandon his own self-centered plans and schemes and adopt the mind of Christ. He must never worship the self-centered world order. He must never worship money. He must not reveal in his thinking or actions a willingness to decide and act independently of the will of God.

In order to test everyone for self-will and rebellion God is going to permit Antichrist to overcome the saints for a season.

He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. (Revelation 13:7—NIV)

God is going to authorize Antichrist to tear down part of the heavenly host, either the angelic host or the host of the saints, or perhaps both.

It 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. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. (Daniel 8:10-12—NIV)

"Because of rebellion"!

To be continued.