The Daily Word of Righteousness

Ye Shall Receive Power, #8

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)

The climax of the coming of Christ will occur as He appears in glory with and in His saints—we appearing with Him as an integral part of His glory. Then the world will see and understand the Father loves the Church, the Body of Christ, as He loves Christ Himself. The world will understand also God has sent Christ and that He has given the Glory of God to the Church, which is the Body, the fullness of Christ.

In the sense we have just described, there is but one coming of Christ: first, the exalted Head; then, the forming of Christ in people and the filling of them with the Spirit of the resurrection; finally, the full manifestation of the Head and the Body in glory at the last trumpet.

Christ alone is Lord, the only begotten Son of God. Jesus is not merely one element of a many-membered Christ. Christ remains the Lord, the Bridegroom. The Church is the Bride—the branches growing out from the one true Vine who is the Lord Jesus Christ. In all things Christ remains central (Ephesians 1:10).

A study of the Prophets of Israel may indicate they do not make a point of two separate comings of Christ, except for the passage in Micah we have just examined.

Perhaps we should make clear at this point that we firmly believe in the two generally accepted comings of Christ, once to make an atonement for our sins and at the end of the Church Age to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth. This should be kept in mind lest someone should be confused as we emphasize the reality of Christ being formed in His Body during the present age.

We Christians are an inseparable part of the glorious Presence of Christ. Our role is to participate in the ministry of Christ to all people whom God claims as His own, especially the nation of Israel. The Gospel of the Kingdom is for the Jews first. It is the children's bread.

It is our understanding that the seventieth week of Daniel is divided in half. The first half is the time of the latter-rain revival, the "two witnesses," the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom to every person on the earth.

The second half of the seventieth week is the period of apostasy, of lawlessness, during which the testimony of the saints will be overcome, making way for the full revelation of Antichrist. At this time God's saints will be persecuted fiercely by Antichrist, by the world, and by "Christians" who believe themselves to be God's people but who actually are the synagogue of Satan.

As soon as the Body of Christ is commissioned to prophesy to the nations in the fullness of the latter-rain power, as portrayed by the angel's word to John (Revelation 10:11), the members of the Body will be visited with Divine judgment. As soon as Moses was commissioned to prophesy to Pharaoh of God's will, the Lord met him and sought to slay him because his son had not been circumcised (Exodus 4:24,25).

To be continued.