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The Daily Word of Righteousness
A Wife but Not a Queen, #5
Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. (Revelation 17:3,4—NIV)
We have stated that the Wife of the Lamb never is addressed in the New Testament as the queen of the Kingdom of God.
Why is this?
Our answer is found in the eighteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation. It is a terrifying answer, for here we behold the destruction of most of what historically has been considered to be Christendom—the denominations and churches that name the name of Christ. These are the self-appointed "queens" of the Kingdom of God.
The Christian denominations and churches, for the most part, contain many members of the Body of Christ, of the Wife of the Lamb. But the organizations themselves and much of their membership are not part of the Wife of the Lamb.
How can we make a judgment as broad as this? To be a member of the Wife of the Lamb one must be in union with the Lamb, living by His Life as He lives by the Father. To be a member of the Body of Christ one must be under the control of the Head—Christ.
These two conditions (which actually are one condition) are not true of most denominations and churches. It is apparent, when one considers the emphasis on loyalty to the group, the willingness to compete with other Christian groups, the trust in money as being the power of the Kingdom of God, the various assortment of schemes and programs that issue periodically, that union with Christ and submission to the Head are minimal if present at all.
During the days of the Protestant Reformers there was physical warfare between the Catholic and Protestant churches. Could anyone claim the Body of Christ, the Wife of the Lamb, was tearing itself up under the direction of the Head?
There has been so much dishonest handling of money on the part of "Christian" ministers that the world has become skeptical of the integrity of the Christian ministry. Does this dishonesty proceed from the Life and guidance of the Head?
When the Spirit of God moves forward into new experiences and doctrines, as has occurred on several occasions throughout church history, the established denominations have fought bitterly against the work of the Spirit, often claiming that Satan was the author of such work.
Today, many Christian churches are announcing that speaking in tongues and the healing of the sick, both of which are new-covenant graces, are of Satan. Can anyone claim these critics are in union with the Life of Christ and under the direction of the Head of the Body of Christ?
Today we see a considerable degree of cooperation among Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal churches, such as in the area of Christian education. Meanwhile, each is denouncing the other as blinded by Satan. Can anyone seriously claim these groups are in union with the Life of Christ and under the guidance of the Head—or even that they possess integrity?
To be continued.