In the meanwhile, as you are being prepared to bear witness to your generation, Christ is being formed in you. This is why the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, the chapter following the two witnesses of the eleventh chapter, describes the travail of the Church as Christ, the Ruler of the nations, is being formed in the witnessing saints.

The witness is for now. The exercise of rulership by the indwelling Christ is for the Kingdom Age to come. You are like Joseph who bore witness while he was in prison and later was placed in charge of Egypt.

If you are not faithful in finding your place in today's army of witnesses it is not likely you will be a part of Joel's army.

In order to march in Joel's army it must be true of you that your life is hidden with Christ in God, that Christ is your life. Only these will appear with the Lord. Read the second chapter of Joel and see how strict are the requirements for participation in the cavalry charge of Armageddon.

Is it really true of you that Christ is your very life, or are you part of the multitude of believers who are saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and now are living their own life, waiting to be "raptured" to Heaven so they can lie at ease in their mansion?

You soon will be out of oil, if this is the case, and the door will be closed to you when the Lord appears.

Don't let this happen to you. The staves are in the Ark. You settled down too quickly. Get back up on your feet and press forward. You have not arrived just because you have spoken in tongues. The purpose of speaking in tongues is to bring you into the rest of God, not into the rest of the flesh.

Press forward! The time ahead will be one of much deception and falling away, if I am hearing correctly from the Lord. Forget about being "raptured" out of your troubles. Your troubles are designed to purge you from worldliness, lust, and self-seeking so you can be part of the second lampstand, so you can serve as the light of the world, bringing the witness of Christ's Kingdom to every creature.

This is no time to settle back and be at ease in Zion. Forget what everyone else in your assembly is doing. You press forward into Jesus Christ so you will be ready when He empowers His saints to go forth and bear witness to the nations of His soon return to earth.

Don't go forth in your own strength and wisdom, you do not know the Lord's plans as yet. Wait until you are strengthened by power from on high. Then you will be able to bear witness locally and, as the Lord leads, to the farthest reaches of the earth.

To be continued.