The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Time Is At Hand, #7

Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. (Isaiah 66:8—NIV)

The royal priesthood of God, the holy nation, will be born suddenly in the last days, in the time that is near at hand. Then all we have hoped for in terms of a glorious testimony will be here in the earth.

The Lord God will bring to the point of birth, and then Christ shall be revealed in His people. This will mark the beginning of the end of Satan's control over the earth. Multitudes of earth's people will come to the Glory of Christ then being brought forth through the Christians.

The travail and the bringing forth announced in Micah and Isaiah are repeated in the Book of Revelation.

A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. (Revelation 12:1,2—NIV)

According to my understanding, the woman is the Church. The sun is Jesus Christ. The moon is the created realm. The crown of twelve stars represent the outstanding patriarchs, prophets, and apostles of the Church.

I think the travail to bring forth Christ is commencing now in some assemblies.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so he might devour her child the moment it was born. (Revelation 12:3,4—NIV)

The stars that are flung to the earth may refer to the angels who took Satan's side in the great rebellion. However, it does not make a great deal of sense that Satan would hurl members of his own army to the earth. Perhaps this is referring to the Lord's people who have sin and rebellion in them, which gives Satan a hold on them.

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 is thrown to the ground. (Daniel 8:12—NIV)

In our day we have seen prominent ministers, who at one time by faith had been crucified and raised with the Lord to the right hand of God, cast down to the earth because of immorality or covetousness. Perhaps the above passage means in the last days Satan will be able to reach into the very heavens and tear down those who have not surrendered completely to the Lord.

Satan stands before the Church. Satan is not concerned about the religious programs of the churches. His fear is that Christ will be born in the Christians. Satan will do everything in his power to keep God's people involved in their religious practices—anything to keep them from focusing on the growth of Christ in them.

To be continued.