God is marching ahead of us in this present hour. He is moving in China, Russia, the Middle East, Indonesia, Scandinavia, South America, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the islands of the sea.

When we go forward as witnesses in the end-time revival, and later as the sons of God at the return of Christ to the earth, we are taking back what already belongs to us.

The earth and its peoples do not belong to the devil, to the fallen angels, to the demons. They belong to the Lord and His saints. The enemy is a thief, a liar, and a murderer, laying claim to and striving to keep what does not belong to him lawfully.

Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. (Joshua 3:12)

The number twelve is used in the Scripture to indicate the whole family of God. Both Jacob and Moses prophesied concerning the twelve tribes of Israel. It may be noticed that the prophecy changed as it moved from tribe to tribe (Genesis 49:1-28, Deuteronomy 33:6-29). In spite of this diversity, Israel was the one chosen people of the Lord.

We can observe this same diversity in the one Body of Christ:

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:4,5)

The unity of Israel was not to endure, however. Because of the lack of wisdom of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the tribes of Israel were divided into two hostile camps—Israel against Judah. Israel and Judah actually went to war against each other, Israelite against Israelite, brother against brother (II Kings 14:11, for example).

And so with the Christian Church. It appears that Satan, playing on our adamic nature and self-centeredness, continually and successfully attempts to use the differences among the members of the Body of Christ to keep them divided and fighting against one another.

There is division and hatred among the members of the Christian churches. Division is one enemy we cannot seem to overcome.

The Lord directed Joshua to have twelve men, one from each tribe, carry a stone from the river bed of Jordan and place it at the site of their first lodging west of Jordan. The twelve stones were a permanent memorial that all the tribes of Israel, including Reuben and Gad, had passed over Jordan after wandering in the wilderness forty years. The tribes of Israel were one nation worshiping the one true God.

At the time of the resurrection from the dead, when God creates His people as an army and establishes them forever in their land, the unity of Israel will be restored perfectly.

Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. (Ezekiel 37:19)

The Scriptures are clear that the final outcome of the Body of Christ will be unity and maturity. All of the tribes will cross Jordan and find rest in the land of promise.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:13)

To be continued.