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A CALL FOR ARMIES TO GATHER Our Non-symbolic Enemy Ephesians 6:12-13 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 places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day . . . The Book of Revelation is a book of symbols: The churches are candlesticks, kingdoms are monsters, Jesus is a Lamb, cities (New Jerusalem and Mystery Babylon) are women, and women are millions of adherents. Our discussion in this chapter is not about the symbols of Bible Prophecy but rather the realities they depict. When lived, realities are more horrible than symbols. What symbol can truly depict a lost soul in eternal flames? Bible Prophecy is real -- Bible Prophecy is NOW! Jesus compares the continuing fires of Jerusalem's garbage dump to Hell. The worms within its refuse are symbolic of wreathing souls captivated in the reality of Hell. The symbol in this case is repugnant but the actuality defies any language. Souls presently in Hell, are awash in despair from as far back as Adam. Reprieve will never arrive for these sorrowing creatures. Since the Cross the presence of Satan has been strong upon the earth. His legions have a ruling agenda. This is to destroy true faith, corrupt the Gospel and allow no one to hear the Word of God. So, if the Gospel is hidden, souls slide into eternal damnation and the Devil has done his worst harm. Nothing can or shall compare with that sting! Therefore, Lucifer will not find a happier hunting ground in any future period. He now orchestrates the thugs of Hell, while destroying souls who were created in the image of God. Our hope is to see Jesus return in judgment. We must rob Satan's house until that day! The greatest sorrow in this Church Age, is that one soul should be lost and not hear the Gospel. This has been a continuing tragedy since the first century. Satan has conducted an all encompassing holocaust against the souls of men and God's Word. The deadly consequence of the past millennium far surpasses seven years of any Satan possessed individual. Such a future "superman" could only render hurt through the spiritual invasion of mankind. Alas, we already have such an attack including many Satan possessed individuals! Remember the coming tribulation is not Satan's day of victory but rather, the great day of God's judgment. Yes, there will be an antichrist in the future. Yes, he will persecute believers and be most wicked. Yes, he will be judged at the Second Coming of Jesus. However, Hell will not burn hotter for a future generation than for today's lost! Beware, antichrist is present on the earth right now and has been since the early Church. The Bible confirms this in First John, as we have already read. We must act like Jesus is coming at any moment, for he may. We must pray like the antichrist is running a wicked earthly system, for he is. We must reach the lost as though they will burn in a devil's Hell and that is the worst thing in all of eternity. No words can picture the eternal horror of that place! Knock Out the Devil's Lights! Tools to Defeat the Antichrist The Word of God is our first line of defense against our enemy. The truth of the Word will set us on the path to eternal life. It leads us by the cross and though the flowing blood of Salvation. If you don't read your Bible you are neglecting the best thing on this earth. You will be fruitless without the Word of God living in you. Be warned that the Word of God is not a magic lucky piece, to be worn about the neck, which by its own intrinsic power performs miracles. The word of God is only powerful when heard and believed upon. God created the earth by his word, and using his immeasurable faith holds the world together. If we are to effect redemption in our world, we must speak God's Word in faith. Only then shall we see the power of His Word. "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." (Hebrews 4:2-3) The Blood of Jesus is used as a weapon of victory against the Devil. The blood washes away sin and removes Satan's just claim. The blood flows freely to those who pray and partake of Jesus by faith. The blood is ineffective to the hard hearted that say no to God. Some people debate the possibility of backsliding through actions. Some ask; "At what point and with which sin am I no longer a Christian? When is the Blood not of effect in my soul?" When you say no to God you are back-slidden, just as Israel was and is today. At the point of saying no, one of the 1595 "ifs" of the Scripture becomes a hook to the straying believer. Hopefully, the prodigal shall take the bate and return to his Father. Those many "ifs" offer hope and promise to the willing and obedient soul. Just say yes to Jesus! If you become stubborn and will no longer repent then you are certainly lost. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
Our Testimony is a mighty weapon against the wicked one. If we testify in agreement with God's word, men will be set free. Satan cannot stand before the Word of God. We cannot lose with the Word of God in our mouth. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:11) The Anointing of the Holy Ghost is the weapon of our time. In the study of the tabernacle there are two lines of thinking. The first is that the tabernacle is a representation of Jesus and his earthly ministry. The Second line of thinking sees the Tabernacle as a picture of God's true Church. I am partial to the second line of thought. In this school of thought the coverings of Gold represent the divine nature covering the humanity of the believer. I have recently come to see a more specific interpretation of the gold. The Gold is the anointing of the Holy Ghost. This anointing is the nature of Christ applied to our humanity. (wood) The anointing is first made available through the Cross. We grow in this anointing through a daily touch of the Holy Ghost. Without the anointing of the Spirit, I cannot do anything right. However, Jesus does the impossible through me because of the anointing. He takes a common piece of wood and covers it with himself. Thus, Jesus continues his ministry in me. I am made his dwelling place and body on earth. The anointing makes it possible to bare pain without full suffering. Foxe's book of martyrs tells of those, who washed their hands in the fire of martyrdom as though they were cooling waters. Others, at the moment of their death gave clear predetermined gestures to indicate the pain was not more than could be born. I have seen the terminally ill restored to full health. I have seen the eternally damned turn to Christ and shun their formerly loved wickedness. These are miracles and they are achieved only on the basis of the Word being accomplished by the anointing! The anointing is the essence of God and can be physically sensed. When the anointing is free to function and the power of God is not hindered by unbelieving ministers, miracles will occur! Jesus is the same today as he was in the past. He wants to demonstrate his mighty power. It was the old apostasy of Romanism, that first quenched the anointing and made God unavailable in the Church. The people said no prayers, sang no songs and read no Bible. (These were functions assigned to the clergy.) Godless signs and miracles occurring in the apostate Church always gave glory and worship to dead humans. This was Heathenism reborn, while using a stolen name. "Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." (Zechariah 4:6)
Powerful Praise and Joyful Worship are mighty weapons against Satan. The Lying One says we should not have joyfulness in worship. Don't believe him! Everyone of with intelligence enjoys happiness: My dog enjoys my joy, my children do, my wife does and God is smarter and more capable of pleasure than all others. God loves it when we love him. We need to let God know how we feel and "Show It." Don't let a binding demon steal the praises of God. Mighty victory has often come through worship to God. Don't buy the Satanic lie about the end of "Davidic Worship." When Paul and Silas sang and praised God, God joined in and the prison broke opened. Yours will too! In my worst times, I have broken the castles of captivity through raw and mighty praise. While I was building a log house in the mountains. A gentleman came to see me on foot. He was so depressed and talked of suicide. I taught him a song of praise and a dance unto the Lord. He left with his joyful praises echoing across the mountain and a delivered spirit. Praise will set you free and bring down the strong hold of Satan! Prayer in the Spirit makes the Devil shake in his cloven hoofs. This will be a point of contention for some. Frankly, we have to make a decision. Shall we believe the Bible's text, or shall we believe man's tradition? Which do you follow, a learned pattern of thinking or the Word? I challenge the reader to search the scripture and deny tradition. Never let your lack of a particular blessing, generate an assumption that, the promised blessing is unavailable. None of us enter the promises of God until we ask and seek. Salvation and all of God's promises must be pursued! The promised land is not taken from the far side of the Jordan. You have to take it from within and one step at a time. Divine right does not assure the enjoyment of blessing. Are you hungry for God? Are you willing to launch out into greater depths? Yes, we shall triumph! According to 1 Corinthians 14:15, Praying and singing in the spirit is to do so in "other tongues." Exercising this gift of the spirit really scars the Devil! We have to use spiritual prayer to make God's spiritual armor effective! Armor is the weapon and spiritual prayer is the strategy. Both must be used in the fight. "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Corinthians 14:15) Ephesians 6:12-18 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 places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; If spiritual praying is in God's Word, why are we neglecting it? Spiritual prayer is the muscle that deploys our spiritual armor. Satan is rightfully frightened by such a force. Spiritual weapons will not work if used improperly. However, it is wonderful to have the Holy Ghost to pray in our behalf and pray in the manner that will be most effective. Our spiritual prayers are mighty against the spirit of antichrist! The Field of Battle Don't worry about antichrist's future attack. He is already here! Today, the wicked one deceives the nations of the earth. He continues to spread the old spirit of Babylon. Unfortunately, the deceptions of today's False Prophet will take many captives to Hell. We can defeat our foe through God's chosen strategy but unless we employ true spiritual prayer we present an easy target. This week on the news I heard of a study saying 1/4 of all pregnancies are terminated in an abortion. (August 1995) The report did not state if these were international figures or just for the US. We know abortion is covering the face of the earth. Women are pulled from their homes in China, while their husbands fight to save their baby. These women are forcefully taken to hospitals and their baby killed. Gender testing is being used to target unwanted girls for abortion. The earth has become a slaughter house of the image of God. In the United States the Word of God is being expunged from the walls of public institutions. Our children are deprived of the only message and philosophy of life that can render happiness and peace. The government and media are doing all they can to disarm the populace. Satan's plan for America is a tremendous blood bath and with no means of resistance this flood is assured. Guns could be applied to the last statement but guns are not the victory. Only through the knowledge of God and the use of spiritual weapons will victory come. Through the mighty weapons of God we can break the controlling powers of Satan and set America free. We can move past the guards and cast down the antichrist leaders in high places. Prayer truly changes things. The spirit of bondage that wraps the minds of the masses can be broken through the Gospel and spiritual praying. Proverbs 5:22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. Psalms 129:4-5 The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked. 5 Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion. Forward in the Battle Today the vestiges of the past apostasy live in many Protestant religious forms. Thus, we are told the days of miracles are over. Please, don't believe that lie; it is the gospel of the pit! Satan always tells lies to limit God. He says only the clergy should preach and pray for the sick. The Devil says only the apostles had the gifts of the Holy Ghost in them. Those assertions are all wrong! God is still working wonders today. All believers should manifest the works of Jesus. A fresh anointing from the Holy Ghost will make the church the soul winning machine that she was born to be. To fulfill its commission, the true Church must minister with God's spiritual gifts. A future embodiment of Satan, will not exceed Satan's long lived damage throughout history. Souls lead into perdition by former Popes, or present apostate Protestants, or yet unnamed scoundrels, all scorch in Hell. Fire burns no matter which hand strikes the match. Although, there will be an antichrist to come, he will not be unique. If the future antichrist were the only fulfillment of the great apostasy, he would be too little, too late. Humanity is the target of antichrist in every generation. We can spoil the Devil's aim with God's spiritual weapons!
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