The Daily Word of Righteousness

Your Redemption Draws Near, #16

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)

It is those whose life the Lord is who will appear with Him.

Numerous believers of our day are living as children of Adam—in the wisdom and energy of the natural man. They have never been crucified to the point that their life has become the Life of the risen Christ. To teach such fleshly church-attenders that they will be revealed with the Lord at His appearing, or that they will be caught up to meet the Fire of Israel at His coming (woe unto them if they were forced into the Presence of the Lord Jesus in their present condition!), is a cruel hoax.

The holy remnant who will appear with the Lord are already being judged by the Word of God. They are being trained to follow the Lamb closely because the war of God against His enemy, the enemy who at this time is occupying our inheritance, must always be guided and empowered by the Lord. Man is unable to fight successfully against the fallen lords of Heaven.

Throughout the Christian Era, a large and powerful army has been and yet is being formed.

A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. (Joel 2:2)

This great and mighty people will be filled with both the goodness and severity of God. The vision of their coming frightened the prophet.

When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. (Habakkuk 3:16)

A people have been trained throughout the Church Age who will invade the earth. They will return with the Lord Jesus to deliver Israel and the saved nations of the earth. But woe to the hypocrites in the churches and to the wicked in that day!

. . . and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zechariah 14:5)

A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. (Joel 2:3)

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 4:3)

The sinners in the churches shall face the fire of God's judgment.

The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14)

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these [the sinners at the love feasts of the saints], saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14,15)

The wicked of the earth will face the wrath of God in His saints in that Day.

They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. (Isaiah 13:5)

To be continued.