Rick Joyner's Blog, page 9

Preparing for the Times

In the last two weeks of this year, we will take a break from our study of the Book of Revelation to briefly re-examine some basics that will help prepare us for the times. The world is careening toward the final clash of ultimate issues—a major part of biblical prophecy and the Book of Revelation scenario. There has never been more excitement, or the potential for adventure, like we have right now. So we need to occasionally look back on the basics that will keep us on track.

 

Knowing what will happen is not as important as being prepared for what will happen. The most important thing we can do to prepare is to abide in the Lord. There is no safer place that we could ever be than in His will. We can know all prophecies accurately, but if we are not abiding in Him and doing His will, we can be in as much trouble as those who know nothing. 

 

The Lord gave us simple, basic instructions about how to do this. After reciting to His disciples the signs of the end of the age, He gave three things to do to be ready:

 

1) stand up

2) look up

3) rejoice

 

Stand Up

      We must stand up for the truth. We must accept that doing this will offend many people, but to not do this offends the Lord. He said in Luke 6:26:

      "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets."

 

He added in Luke 16:15:

      “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God."

 

      He asserts here that if we want to do what is acceptable to men, we will be doing what is detestable to God. The reverse is also true: if we do what is acceptable to God, we will be doing what is detestable to men. Someone is going to detest what we’re doing. Who do we want it to be?

 

      If we are trying to win men by doing what they approve of, they will never respect us enough to hear us anyway, and we will lose God in the process.

 

Look Up

      To “look up” is to keep our attention on the One who sits above all rule and authority and dominion, rather than keeping our attention on the troubles. Peter could walk on the troubled water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. When he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to look at the troubles, he sank, and so will we.

 

Rejoice

      Do not ever let anything steal your joy in the Lord, because the joy of the Lord is our strength. If we have built our lives on the kingdom, and are abiding in the kingdom, then we are told that the kingdom of God is “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). If we abide in His righteousness, we will have peace such as the world cannot comprehend. This leads to a joy that is not dependent on the conditions on the earth. Never lose your joy.

 

      So, why not make a resolution for the new year that we will excel in doing these three things? What could be more profitable in our life? If we do these, we will also be growing in faith, love, and patience.  

 

Reviewing Eschatological Perspectives: The Book of Revelation

         As stated previously, for the most part I have referenced the traditional Protestant eschatology in relation to this study of the Book of Revelation. This was the generally accepted eschatology of the Protestant church and virtually all evangelical Christians before the 1844 Advent Movement.

         An eschatology that emerged in this movement taught that the Book of Revelation was all about the end of the age and therefore, all futuristic. This conflicts with what is written at the beginning of Revelation. There John wrote that these things would “shortly come to pass.” They did begin to come to pass soon after he received this vision. They unfolded throughout the church age even though some parts have yet to be fulfilled..

         Again, what I have presented for the most part in this study is what is referred to today as the “historical perspective” of the Book of Revelation. I lean toward this perspective as it was the view of virtually all of the Reformers and most closely aligns with the writings of the Early Church Fathers—the direct disciples of the Lord’s twelve disciples. Even so, this does not mean we must accept all aspects of this, or any perspective, or that there is not merit to more recently developed eschatology.

         I have sought to do a comparative analysis, to take what seemed to be the truth—or points with the most merit—from each major school of eschatology. I also tried to keep in mind that there are many unrevealed mysteries about this Revelation, and we should continue to be open to new insight from the Holy Spirit. For this reason, I do not intend to be dogmatic, but rather teachable, and to promote that attitude about the books of Daniel and Revelation. There are parts to both that have been fulfilled that are easy to see unless one is ignorant of history. There are also parts yet to be fulfilled.

         As stated before, my first introduction to eschatology as a new believer was from the futuristic view, such as the one presented by Hal Lindsey in his book The Late Great Planet Earth. This book was a huge bestseller at the time, and I loved it. At the time I did not know there were other perspectives on end-time prophecy, but even then I could see gigantic holes and contradictions in the entirely futuristic view. Even so, I think such books were helpful in getting believers to start considering these prophecies of the end of the age as we are getting closer to it.

         Many of the challenges I had with the futuristic view were resolved when I studied the historical perspective, but this view is also not without its challenges. Most of these challenges come from a common mistake with Bible scholars and those seeking to interpret the biblical prophecies: the attempt to carry to a logical conclusion that which God has only revealed in part. There also seems to be a need on their part to have an explanation for everything when it would be better to say that some of these things remain a mystery.

         I can be guilty of these flaws as well, and therefore, I greatly appreciate feedback on these studies. I have confidence in anything I write, but on this subject I don’t think there is enough illumination yet for anyone to be dogmatic. I know I am writing to a mature audience, and for this reason I trust you to weigh carefully and prayerfully consider the things with which you are challenged.

         So tighten your seatbelt. As we continue this study into next year, there will be some exciting turbulence ahead. This is often the case where there is valuable revelation.

 

Receiving God's Mark—The Book of Revelation

         This week we will cover Revelation 14:1-5, and the antithesis to the beast and his mark, which also reveals how we keep from worshiping the beast or taking its mark.

Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 

And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.

And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

         This group may be the most speculated about from the Book of Revelation, second only to the mark of the beast. John begins this part of the text with “then I looked….” So this is what he saw immediately after viewing the beast and the mark of the beast. What stands out about this group is that they do not have the mark of the beast; instead they have the name of the Lord and the Father written on their foreheads. This states that the way not to worship the beast is to worship the Lord and have His name written on our foreheads.

         Is it that simple? Yes. Deception often comes through complications resulting from speculations. If we truly worship the Lord, keeping Him first in our affections and devotion, we will not worship the things of this earth, the beast that comes up out of the earth, or anything else. If we have taken God’s mark, the devil will not be able to put his mark on us. If we have taken God’s mark then we know Him as our Source—we will not have to depend on “buying, selling, or trading” in the ways of this beast.

         There is also much speculation about whether this 144,000 is a literal number. There are persuasive arguments that this is the case, as well as arguments that consider this number to be symbolic. I always take Scripture literally unless there is compelling evidence that it is intended to be symbolic, which I do not see here. However, if it is a literal number, this does not mean that these are all who are redeemed at the end of the age. As we see in Revelation 7, there is a “great company” too big to count that came out of “the great tribulation” worshipping God. So this is a unique group within the redeemed, but the redeemed number is much larger.

         Establishing who I think this 144,000 is would take many weeks to cover in this format, but it seems obvious that this group is set apart in a unique way and has a unique purpose. Personally, I think they are the “messengers of power” that Enoch prophesied would come at the end of the age. Regardless, we can take the principle established here about worshiping the Lord and taking His name on our foreheads. The great trial at the end called the “great tribulation” is about whom we really worship—God or the things of this world.

         The biggest point being made here is for each of us to settle who we will serve, because we cannot serve God and another god. For that reason, we must understand the nature of the beast so that we do not serve it by living according to its ways, and that we keep God first in our affections and in our trust. A false god is not just something we have affection for that eclipses our affection for God—it is also what we put our trust in more than God. We should apply this test to everything that has our affection or that we put our trust in.

 

Where We Put Our Trust—The Book of Revelation

         Last week we briefly covered “the mark of the beast” as revealed in Revelation 13. This week we will cover Revelation 14:1-5, and the antithesis to the beast and his mark, which also reveals how we keep from worshiping the beast or taking its mark:

Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 

And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.

And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

         Next to the mark of the beast, this group may be the most speculated about from the Book of Revelation. John begins this part of the text with “then I looked….” So this is what he saw immediately after viewing the beast and the mark of the beast. What stands out right away about this group is that they do not have the mark of the beast, but instead have the name of the Lord and the Father written on their foreheads. This means that the way to avoid worshipping the beast is to worship the Lord and have His name written on our foreheads.

         Is it that simple? Yes. Deception often comes through complications that are the result of speculations. If we truly worship the Lord, keeping Him first in our affections and devotion, we will not worship the things of this world. If we have taken God’s mark, the devil will not be able to put his mark on us. If we have taken God’s mark then we know Him as our Source, and we will not have to depend on “buying, selling, or trading” in the ways of this beast.

         There is also much speculation about whether this 144,000 is a literal number. There are persuasive arguments that state this is the case, as well as those that consider this number symbolic. I always take Scripture literally unless there is compelling evidence that it is intended to be symbolic. I do not see here, but this does not mean that this is all who are redeemed at the end of the age. As we see in Revelation 7, right after addressing the 144,000 we see the “great company” too big to count that had come out of “the great tribulation” worshipping God.

         To establish who I think this 144,000 is would take weeks to do in this format, but we can certainly all take the principle established here about worshipping the Lord and taking His name on our foreheads. The great trial at the end called the “great tribulation” is really all about who we worship—God or the things of this world.

         The big point being made here is for us to settle who we will serve, because we cannot serve both. For that reason, we need to understand the nature of the beast so that we do not serve it by living according to its ways, and that we keep God first in our affections and in our trust. Remember that a false god is not just something we have affection for that eclipses our affection for God, but it is also what we put our trust in more than God.

The Lord As Our Source—The Book of Revelation

         Now we come to Revelation 13:11-18 and one of the most studied and famous passages in Revelation about “the mark of the beast.” I ask you to read this passage before we dig into what it means and how it may apply to us today.

Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.

He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.

And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,

and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

         This beast is distinguished from the last beast as it comes up out of the earth instead of the sea. In prophetic symbolism, this often relates to earthly mindedness, which is exalting the things of the earth and this age above the things of God and His eternal purposes manifested by His kingdom.

         We often worship that which we give most of our attention. Obviously we live in the world, and there are some things in this world that we must give our attention to in order to survive and provide for ourselves and our families. To love our neighbors as we are called to means that we do things for them, our communities, and countries by being the salt and light we are called to be. We are commanded to do everything that we do as unto the Lord, so Christians should excel at their jobs and professions. However, if our main devotion and attention is on the earthly rather than on the things above with Christ, we will be in jeopardy of succumbing to this beast. This text is a warning to keep us from this.

         Throughout the church age, many have speculated about how this mark of the beast would come, but that is not the most important issue here. Taking the mark is not the sin—it is merely the evidence of the sin, which is worshiping the beast. More important than knowing how this mark will come is being able to recognize the beast so that we do not serve him.

         As we are told in this text, six is the number of man. This is because man was created at the end of the sixth day. Many believe that the number of this beast, 666, relates to how secular humanism places man at the center of all things and seeks to displace the Trinity. Perhaps, but we do know that this is centered in the worship of man, and the basic method of control is the “mark of the beast” that is required of anyone to “buy, sell, or trade.” This economic mark enables one to be connected to the economy and the currency of the beast.

         In this beast, we have the three primary idols of the human race wrapped into one: 1) the worship of man as supreme, 2) the worship of the things of this world (“this present evil age”), and 3) the worship of money. Worship is not just what we have love and affection for, but what we put our trust in instead of God. This is an ultimate test by the ultimate traps of the human soul.

         A key remedy to the worship of the beast and taking the mark is obeying Colossians 3:1-2, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” In this way we resolve to put our trust in the Lord and not the powers of this age. Those who know the Lord as their Source will not be tempted to take the mark of the beast so that they can buy, sell, or trade. It is those who do not know the Lord as their Source who are in jeopardy.

         This issue is of obvious crucial importance, and we will continue discussing this next week.

 

The Grace of God—The Book of Revelation

         Now we come to Revelation 13:1-10. I will share comments after each part:

And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.

         Of course, the dragon is the devil, and he stands at the edge of the sea until a beast comes up out of the sea. As we see in Isaiah 17 and later in this prophecy, the sea represents the multitudes—the peoples or nations. So this beast arises among the people. The heads, horns, and diadems speak of different kings and powers that came forth in this period.

And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.

         These three beasts are all dangerous beasts of prey that kill their food and people. So this beast is especially associated with killing, and the devil gives it his power and authority.

I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;

they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"

         As we have covered, the reformers believed that the “fatal head wound” came when Napoleon imprisoned the Pope, who claimed to be the head of the church. This was the greatest humiliation in history of the papacy that claimed to be “God on earth.” The Pope died in prison and Napoleon would not allow another Pope to be appointed. It seemed to the world that the papacy was dead. Several years later, Napoleon had a son that he wanted invested with the “divine right of kings,” so he allowed another Pope to be appointed. It seemed like the “fatal head wound” had been healed, and the papacy quickly regained its strength. This entire sequence of events got the whole world’s attention.

There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.

And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

         The Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy, as they explained in John 10:33: "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." Here we see blasphemy defined as claiming to be God when you are not. The Pope not only claimed to be the head of the church, which is Christ’s rightful place, but over time the institution claimed virtually every title given to God and Christ in the Scriptures. It is easy to verify this in Catholic literature today.

It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

         The ones declared “heretics” and killed during the persecution of the Middle Ages were mostly Christians who held to the belief that Jesus alone was the Head of the church. They had many other differences with Catholic doctrine, but this was the main one. This doctrine supplanted Christ Himself and was the fulfillment of the prophecy about the man of sin taking his seat in the temple of God—the church—declaring himself to be God. Protestant history sees those that were persecuted as the true saints and martyrs for the faith. During this time, they were killed by the millions in what is still the darkest period in history, which is why some refer to it as “The Dark Ages.”

         This is an inconvenient and uncomfortable truth, but it is one we must address and derive the lessons given to us in Revelation so that the causes of such terrible evils can be recognized and overcome. However, many of the Protestant movements that grasped these things about the papacy used the knowledge arrogantly, assuming themselves to be better than the Roman church. Then many of the Protestant movements went on to do basically the same things the Catholics had done to those who would not submit to their views.

         This portrayal of an apostate and harlot church is not just about one denomination, but about what we will all become without the grace of God. He gives His grace to the humble. It is a dangerous thing to point the finger at others, or think we are better than they are.  The Lord did not give us Revelation so that we can point the finger at others, but rather at ourselves. We must embrace the fact that we all need to repent of the intolerance that leads to such destruction. As we continue this study of Revelation, this will be made clearer.

Religious Liberty—The Book of Revelation

         Now we come to Revelation 12:13-17:

When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 

But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.

But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.

So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

         During this study I have used insights from several different schools of thought on the Book of Revelation, but I have mostly used the generally accepted Protestant version that is a historical view. I have done this because I think there is merit to this view, and it has basically been forgotten and avoided since the 1844 Advent Movement (this was when the doctrines were formulated that the Book of Revelation was just about the end of the age). Revelation itself refutes this at the beginning of the vision when John wrote that the things he saw would “shortly come to pass.” 

         There probably would not be a legitimate historian that would not agree that the worst Christian persecution in history came during the Inquisition in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. Halley’s Bible Handbook and other histories estimate that as many as 50 million people who refused to bow the knee to the papacy were martyred during that time. They were not just martyred, but tortured. As we read in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, and other such accounts, the most grotesque tortures were used in the Inquisition. The devil let loose with “great wrath” is an appropriate description of this most terrible time in history.

         Right at the peak of this persecution, Columbus discovered America. That “the earth opened” (literal translation) and swallowed the flood of persecution is an accurate description of what happened. Almost immediately the political and religious powers of Europe turned their attention from eradicating “heretics” and began to focus on the potential for wealth and conquest in the Americas.

         Some of the nations that wanted to get rid of their non-Catholic citizens—but were appalled by the cruelty and horrors of the Inquisition—offered to send those citizens as colonists to the new world. So the persecuted fled to the “new world” as colonists, which at the time certainly fulfilled the description of being a “wilderness.”

         The symbol of America was also to become the eagle, as the prophecy refers to “the wings of a great eagle” were given to the woman. So this seems to be an accurate prophecy of how America would become the refuge for persecuted Christians that it has became.

         In America, the church was also “nourished” just as the prophecy said. In much of Europe, it was still illegal, and even carried the death penalty, to be caught with a Bible. In America, both Bibles and literacy were widely promoted, and therefore the church in America became strong in the Lord and in His Word. This ultimately led to America becoming a center for new Christian movements and the recovery of biblical Christianity. For nearly three hundred years, America has been a center of Christian influence for the world.

         Just as the prophecy quoted above states, the devil was still enraged after the flood he had poured out was swallowed, and he went after the rest of the offspring of the woman. For centuries, Europe suffered almost continual religious wars and persecutions. Even though the diabolical cruelty and span of the Inquisition was never repeated, the brutal religious intolerance continued. This fortified in those who had fled to America a devotion to religious liberty and tolerance that is a cornerstone of all other freedoms.

Investing Our Treasure in Heaven—The Book of Revelation

         In the last few weeks, we have focused on the power that enables God’s people to not only overcome the events of the last days— the events in this unfolding vision—but in all of life. Many people’s worst Armageddon will come in the form of an accident or other tragedies and disasters. The principles we’re studying here apply to all of life, not just the events outlined in Revelation.

         The next thing said about those who overcome by the blood of the Lamb is that they added to this “the word of their testimony” (see Revelation12:11). How does the word of our testimony help us to overcome? As Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (see Matthew12:34 NKJV). If our heart is filled with faith in the Son of God and the power of His cross, then we will proclaim it. There is power in that proclamation.

         Are these testimonies that have caused many to be martyrs? Yes. That leads us to the third factor of why they overcame in Revelation 12:11: “and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” To the earthly minded, death is the ultimate defeat, but to those in Christ, death is graduation into our reward, and martyrdom is the most honorable way it can come.

         Without question, death is an enemy and it will be done away with, but in this age it is a teacher of reality. Life is the ultimate gift, and those who prove willing to risk it, or give it, for the sake of the Gospel will be great heroes in heaven and carry great weight with the Lord.

         How do we get to the place where we are willing to risk our life for the Gospel, or gladly suffer martyrdom rather than deny the Lord? We invest our treasure in heaven, in eternity. Where our treasure is there will our hearts be also. If we have been “seeking the things that are above” and are seated with Christ in the heavenly places, then we will gladly sacrifice anything in this life for the eternal purposes of Christ. So an important question is whether we are earth bound or heaven bound, and this is determined by that which has our devotion and worship. Such a devotion is helped by what is stated in Revelation 12:12:

"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."

         From the point when the accuser is cast down to the earth, the experience is going to be different depending on where we are dwelling. When the devil is cast down, he comes with great wrath and will take it out on all that he can. At this time, the only safe place on earth will be abiding in Christ and doing His will.

         The devil cannot strike Christ again, but Christ can strike the devil and destroy any of His works at any time. The devil would not be able to release his wrath on the earth if the Lord did not allow it, and He will for a short time. This too is working toward the ultimate purpose of the Lord to show the clear contrast between following the devil and his ways or following the Lord. After this history of the earth has been completed, all of creation, in every realm, will know what a huge mistake it is to not obey the Lord in all things, and worship Him alone.

The Power of the Cross—The Book of Revelation

         Robin McMillan and I get together a couple of times a week just to talk, and some really profound revelations come from these times. He made a great point recently when he shared how in Christ, we become members of the lineage of Christ—the noblest lineage on earth. Now consider this­: Adam and Eve sinned; Noah got drunk; Abraham and Isaac were willing to give their wives to heathens to protect themselves; Jacob lied, cheated, schemed, and stole. Moses was a murderer, Rahab was a harlot, King David was a murderer and adulterer, and the list goes on. This is the lineage of the King of kings—the Messiah!

         The point is that we all need grace and mercy. We are told that we will reap what we sow, so if we want to reap grace we must sow grace every chance we get. If we want to reap mercy, we should sow mercy every chance we get, and how much more so to God’s children. Think about how you would feel if anyone treated one of your kids harshly. This is why we are commanded that when we restore others we do it in gentleness—these are God’s own children we are dealing with, and He loves them regardless of what they have done.

         Let us resolve that we will not limit the power of the cross to save, heal, redeem, reconcile, and restore. We limit the power of the cross when we view anyone as beyond its reach. We limit it when we set time or other limits on its ability to save and restore.

         The  worst enemy of the Lord when He walked the earth were the Pharisees, the religious conservatives of His day. The most hardened, radical, and cruel Pharisee of the time appeared to be Saul of Tarsus. He was enraged at the young church and persecuted Christians to their death beginning with the first Christian martyr, Stephen. Even this man, likely the greatest enemy of the faith, was not beyond the power of the cross, ultimately turning him into possibly the greatest apostle and greatest defender of the faith.    

         II Kings 3:26-27 tells one of the more bizarre stories in the Scriptures, one that fortifies the spiritual principle of the power of sacrifice during a battle between Israel and Moab:

When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not.

Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.

         Unfortunately, satanic worshipers seem to understand the power of sacrifice better than many Christians at this time. If such a demonic sacrifice of his son by a heathen king could have such power, how much more power does the sacrifice of the Son of God have?

         There is nothing more powerful in all of creation than the blood of the Lamb, which is why it is written: "They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb,” (see Revelation 12:11). This power is released by simple faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. It covers the believers and can protect those who believe from anything. This is the power that we must walk in at the end of the age.

         Those whose fellowship is with demons must make a new sacrifice for everything. Jesus made one sacrifice for all and for all time. There does not need to be a new sacrifice for each need, but simple faith in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. His sacrifice is enough to cover all.

         In I Corinthians 1:18, we are told that the cross is “the power of God.” There is no greater power in the universe than the power of God, and therefore there is no greater power than the cross. Believe in it. Grow in your faith in the cross of the Son of God. There is no greater preparation for the unfolding times that we could make than this.

 

Our Strategy for Restoration—The Book of Revelation

         This week we continue our study of Revelation 12:

"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time" (Revelation 12:11-12).

         Here we are given the ultimate strategy for overcoming:

         1) The blood of the Lamb

         2) Our testimony

         3) We do not live in fear of death

         How much do we believe in the power of the blood of the Lamb? I was once asked by a council of leaders in the body of Christ to oversee the restoration of a high profile evangelist. I knew I was supposed to do this, so I accepted. Then many of the leaders came to me separately and tried to impose their standards and guidelines on the restoration. I welcomed their input until I realized that what virtually every one of them was suggesting limited the power of the cross to redeem and restore. They wanted to inject their opinions in place of the power of God. Let me explain.

         These leaders would place limits on the power of the cross by placing their own time limits on the process. I asked them where they got these guidelines, if they could give me examples in Scripture, and they could not. It was based on their opinion of what needed to be accomplished, some of which I doubted they could have lived up to themselves. As I dug deeper, I found that the severity of the process they wanted implemented depended more on the level of embarrassment endured by the body of Christ because of this fall than on what was needed to get this brother to repent, be healed, and strengthened against this type of failure again. Restoration is not about punishment—it is about getting the person to repent, be healed, and restored.  

         This was illuminating and alarming. Later, a person shared with me that they had followed many who publicly attacked this evangelist and condemned him for his failure. They had all either fell themselves, were divorced, or passed away. I am not saying this to shame anyone, and being on the other side I may have been guilty of the same thing. I am sharing this for the education and protection of those tempted to be presumptuous in limiting the power of the cross to redeem and restore. That is often a more serious transgression than what those who need restoration may be guilty of. The more influence we have as leaders or teachers, the stricter the judgment we can expect, as James wrote.

         It is high level presumption for us to exalt our opinions to determine how long it will take the power of the cross to do something. If we determine a certain process should take three years, or five years, what are we basing this on? As Peter said, “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” (see II Peter 3:8). One thing this means is that the Lord can do in one day what we think should take a thousand years. He can also take a thousand years to do what we think should be done in a day. Timing is in the hands of the Lord.

         I asked some of those who approached me with what I thought were unbiblical opinions about this restoration process if they thought denying the Lord was worse than what this evangelist had done. They all concurred that denying the Lord was worse. I would then ask why the Lord restored Peter so fast and exalted him to the pinnacle of leadership in the church in just a few weeks when they wanted to take something less serious and stretch it into years.

         We are told in Galatians 6:1, “If a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (NKJV). This could have been translated “if any man is caught in any trespass….” That’s pretty much all encompassing. We also see here that “the spiritual” should be able to restore anyone who is caught in any trespass. Nothing is beyond the power of the cross to redeem and fully restore.