The victorious saints now and forever are the eternal Temple of God and pillars in that Temple. They are the beginning, the firstfruits of the holy city, the new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem will be completed and brought to perfection during the thousand-year period set aside for this purpose.

Something else has transpired here.

These victorious saints, who are kings, judges, and priests of God, have had accomplished through them a mighty work of conquest. Before physical death can be destroyed, before the Antichrist and his armies can be defeated, Satan and his angels must be cast down from their thrones in the heavens.

The casting down and destruction of the authority of the ancient dragon will be accomplished before the Lord returns. It will be performed by the angels on the basis of a company of saints who overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by loving not their lives to the death.

The basis for the overcoming of the hosts of darkness is pictured in the Scriptures as a travail—a travail of the Christian Church to bring forth Christ in the saints (Revelation 12:2).

The travail of the Church will bring forth Christ (not Christ-likeness, but Christ) in the saints. The reason we stress that it is Christ and not Christ-likeness who is to be brought forth is so the reader will not be led to think we are speaking of our attempting to be "more like Jesus."

While it is a good thing to be more like Jesus, what is needed to bring down Satan from his throne in the heavens is the Substance, Virtue, and Life of Christ. The Divine Nature and Life of Christ must be formed in us if we are to conquer in the spiritual warfare. Christ Himself, formed and abiding in us, is the only One who can cast down the ancient dragon from his throne in the heavenlies.

Let us turn now to the Book of Isaiah to begin our study of the travail of the woman—the travail described in both the New Testament and the Old Testament. The travail of the woman and the bringing forth of Christ in the saints is the key to the events of the Day of the Lord. The deliverance of "all Israel" depends on the bringing forth of Christ.

Samson did not bring down the temple of Dagon by his life but by his death. The churches of Christ have all sorts of plans and programs, as has been true throughout Church history, with which they hope to perform the work of God in the earth. From the viewpoint of eternity, all their plans will come to nothing if they have not originated in Christ.

The work of God will be performed in our day by Christ Himself working through the saints. Until the strong man of sin and self-will has been bound in the churches, Satan's house cannot be taken. It is only as the churches die to their own efforts and enter the travail of the Spirit that Christ can come forth and perform the work of God.

To be continued.