The Lord desires to raise up an army of strong, holy believers who will be powerful enough to bear witness during the age of moral horrors that is approaching. Numerous church members of our day will not be able to cope with the severity of the demands the pastors and evangelists will be making on them. They will flee to more comfortable surroundings and thus disqualify themselves from being a member of the warlike remnant that is emerging from the churches.

The firstfruits of the Bride of the Lamb will be clothed with the white robe of their righteous behavior, a righteous behavior created as they have been brought down to death each day and then raised again by the Virtue of Christ.

When today's believers are exhorted to press forward to victory they complain there is too much emphasis being placed on works and not enough attention paid to mercy and grace. The truth is, they are seeking to justify their halfhearted, weak, double-minded Christian walk.

The crowns will go to the warriors. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the churches in our day. The evangelical spirit with its lawless-grace-rapture carnality, immorality, stubbornness, rebellion, and self-love is coming up before God for judgment.

The Tree of Life

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)

The tree of life is still "in the midst of the paradise of God." Eating the tree of life brings immortality to the physical body. No person is given access to the tree of life, the tree of immortality, until he through Christ has conquered the enemies of God that have come against him.

Let us think for a moment about the beginning of the world.

The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Later Eve was formed from a part of Adam that was removed from him.

God, the original Gardener, planted a garden toward the east in the country of Eden and placed Adam there.

God brought forth from the ground all kinds of trees—trees pleasing to look at and that bore fruit good for food.

The tree of life (Christ) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (the eternal moral law of God) were given to Adam and Eve in addition to the actual organic trees that were good for human consumption. The only law that governed Adam and Eve was to refrain from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The law of God, life, sin, and death—these are the major topics of the Scriptures. These are the major considerations of life on the earth. It was so in the beginning. It is true now. It shall continue to be true throughout the countless ages of eternity.

To be continued.