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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Coming to the Disciple and Coming to the World, #13
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20—NIV)
Do you want to learn to "fly by instruments," to live by the Life of Jesus in you rather than by your mental appraisal of the outward world? Then tell Him about it right now. He is closer to you than you realize, just waiting for you to turn away from your trust in the world and to look to Him for every detail of your thinking, speaking, and acting.
The hour described in the following passage is near to come.
The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. Then you will know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. (Joel 3:15-17—NIV)
In the verses above we see the convergence of the two comings. The darkening of the sun and moon points toward the historic second coming of the Lord. The Lord roaring from Zion speaks of the power of Christ issuing from within His Body, His saints, who will appear with Him when He appears. Then Jerusalem will be delivered and never again will foreigners invade her.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4—NIV)
They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. (II Thessalonians 1:9,10—NIV)
"To be glorified in his holy people."
It is clear that when Christ appears He will be accompanied by saints in whom He is dwelling. Thus the historic second coming of the Lord will include not only the Lord but those also whom He has made His dwelling place, His chariot.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20—NIV)
This is the Word of Christ to us today. He is standing at the door of the Christian heart. Remember, in this verse He is speaking to the church in Laodicea, the last and least praiseworthy of the churches. He is standing before us today.
Who is standing before us and asking for entrance? It is the Lord of Hosts, the Lord strong and mighty in battle.
Why the emphasis on warfare?
Warfare and battle are emphasized because we are at the beginning of the entrance of the Kingdom of God into the earth. The Kingdom of God comes with judgment, and judgment begins with the household of God.
Our goal is the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles, that is, the dwelling in us of the fullness of God. But before we can receive the fullness of God, the Lord must wage war against the enemy in our life.
The actual warfare is symbolized by the Old Testament Day of Atonement, of Reconciliation.
To be continued.