If we are destined to govern in Christ at the right hand of God we must realize we are going to be sifted by Satan until every part of our personality has been brought to the light, until we have been converted from our self-will to God's will. Peter had to be sifted because he and the others had been arguing about who would be greatest in the Kingdom of God. God will not permit any self-seeking individual to be part of His Throne!

Jesus Christ will not prevent our being sifted by Satan. But He will pray for us that our faith does not fail.

If we are to sit in the Throne of Christ, as He sits in His Father's Throne, then we must overcome every enemy just as He overcame every enemy. He will enable us to overcome if we refuse to be diverted from our position at the right hand of God.

The purpose of the next return of the Lord is to place His purified saints on the thrones in the air that will be vacated when Michael throws Satan and his angels from their places of rulership in the heavens. The challenges to be overcome, as described in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, are steps to the first resurrection from the dead.

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4—NIV)

These are awesome thrones! Throughout our Christian life we have been wrestling against the present occupants of these thrones.

The saints have been given authority to judge. The authority to judge is the right of a king.

The saints have been "beheaded" because of their testimony for Jesus. This means they have forsaken their own thinking that they might obey the Lord in every matter. In order to bear a true witness of Jesus we have to forsake our own plans and ambitions. Only the true Christians will do this.

The saints have been "beheaded" because of the Word of God. This means they have forsaken their own reasoning in order to say "Amen" to the Word of God. They are sternly obedient to the Father.

They no longer are living according to their carnal mind but by the mind of the Lamb and the mind of God. This is revealed by the writing of the name of the Lamb and the name of God on their forehead.

Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1—NIV)

The future judges refused to worship Antichrist, that is, the spirit of the world that says to people "You are your own god. The only god there is is within you."

They refused to worship the image of the Antichrist. The image of the Antichrist is worldly wealth, in particular, money. Money is worshiped in America in our day. We do not trust in God but in money.

They did not receive the mark of Antichrist on their forehead. They refused to think according to the spirit of the world, the spirit of human togetherness that is determined to bring peace and joy to every person by human means.

To be continued.