The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Rebellion

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:12-14)

There is a rebellion among God's creatures. That the rebellion never has been put down is evidenced by the conditions that exist on the earth in the days in which we are living. God's solution to the continuing rebellion is not to transfer mankind from the earth to Heaven but to create in people the Person and Life of the obedient Christ.

God has a rebellion on His hands.

It appears many spiritual personages of high rank have rebelled and are yet rebelling against God, against His rulership, His will.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [heavenly] places. (Ephesians 6:12)

How large a number of these spiritual beings have rebelled against God is unknown to us. It appears likely many angelic beings are included in the rebellion.

We say are included because the rebellion never has been put down. In fact, it still is spreading. Wicked spirits still are influencing mankind from their thrones in the air. Also, every time a human being is born a new rebel comes into being.

One can see, by the conditions that exist on the earth in the days in which we are living, that the rebellion has never been put down.

What is the Lord Jesus doing? He is waiting for the Father to subdue His enemies under His feet.

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. (Hebrews 10:12,13)

What, then, was accomplished on the cross of Calvary?

The shedding of the blood on the cross established for eternity the legal basis for the redemption of mankind. Mankind must be redeemed from the guilt, the bondage, and the effects of the rebellion.

The blood of the cross, when it is applied by faith, removes the guilt of the repentant individual.

The Holy Spirit is in charge of breaking the bondages of the world, of the lusts of our flesh, and of our self-will.

The effects of the rebellion, which are alienation from God, character corruption, physical sickness, and destruction of the environment, are remedied after the guilt has been removed and the Holy Spirit begins to break the spiritual chains that are on us. The final act of personal redemption will be the removal of physical death.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (I Corinthians 15:26)

The blood of the cross has made possible the full redemption that is yet to come. We Christians have been sealed by the Holy Spirit to the Day of Redemption that yet is in the future (although eternal judgment has begun in the firstfruits of the Church).

To be continued.