A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. (Joel 2:3)

To those who would protest that the above verse is speaking of locusts we reply that a careful study of the entire chapter may reveal the statements to be far too powerful to be referring only, or even primarily, to a plague of insects.

They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. (Isaiah 13:5)

Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah. (Habakkuk 3:13)

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 4:3)

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14,15)

One of the concepts we wish to stress is that of the participation of the saints in the violent installation of the Kingdom of God on the earth. Spiritual maturity on the part of the participants will be necessary. The Day of the Lord, the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth, is based on the coming and service of saints who have been made strong in Christ. This is the parousia, the coming of the Lord from Heaven:

. . . a two-edged sword in their hand. (Psalms 149:6)

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; . . . . (Isaiah 53:12)

. . . a great people and a strong; . . . . (Joel 2:2)

. . . he will invade them with his troops. (Habakkuk 3:16)

And ye shall tread down the wicked; . . . . (Malachi 4:3)

And the God of peace shall bruise [crush] Satan under your feet shortly. . . . (Romans 16:20)

. . . the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, . . . . (Jude 1:14)

And they overcame him . . . . (Revelation 12:11)

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: . . . . (Revelation 20:6)

And the armies which were in heaven followed him . . . . (Revelation 19:14)

Christ did not set up His Kingdom on the earth at His first coming because mature warrior-saints were not available at that time. One of the main purposes of the two thousand years of the Christian Era has been the development of a mature army, an army that has been brought to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

There must be a company of strong people in whom and with whom God in Christ can drive all sin and lawlessness from the face of the earth. The hour in which we are living is one of special emphasis on the creation of "mighty men." Many who are last in time will be first in the Kingdom of God.

To be continued.