WALKING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps…” (1 Peter 2:21). 

 

The very first words that many of the disciples heard from Jesus’ lips were “Follow Me.” They are two simple words that convey so much more than just a momentary interruption of our lives.  They are the foundation of our Christian walk, and they require a lifetime of commitment on our part if we would be His disciples.  Jesus’ every word and action forms a straight and narrow path that leads us little by little to God.  His life is a pattern for those who would follow after Him and become heirs of eternal life.

 

The call of God on our lives requires more than a mere profession of faith, regular attendance at the church of our choice, or conformity to a certain dogma.  God has called each of us to something higher, and that is to follow the example of His Son Jesus Christ in every way, and learn to walk as He walked.  As the Apostle John wrote, “He that saith he abideth in Him [Jesus] ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” (1 John 2:6).  To put it plainly: if you say that you’re living for Jesus, then you need to learn to do as He did.  This is the “high calling of God in Christ Jesus” that Paul refers to in Philippians 3:14, and it demands a disciplined and dedicated life.  It involves closely studying the life of our Lord as it is revealed in the scriptures, allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate what we see there.  Then we must trust in the grace that God gives us to walk in the light of that revelation.  “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13).  God is very patient with His children and leads us from faith to faith, and from glory to glory.

 

When we look into the Word of God, it is like looking into a mirror, but a very special mirror.  As we read the words, the same Spirit which inspired those words to be written by holy men of old also moves upon our hearts to unlock the mysteries of the Book and reveal the nature of Jesus to us.  It’s like looking in a mirror and seeing a perfect image of Jesus that reveals how unlike Him I am and where I need to change in order to conform to His image.  From Genesis to Revelation Jesus can be found hidden in the stories of faith, the proverbs, the psalms, the prophecies, and even the Law.  Jesus unlocked many of these mysteries when He would teach.  He revealed Himself as the Passover Lamb that was without blemish, offered in the place of the lives of the Israelites when the death angel passed through Egypt.  He taught that He was the brazen serpent that was lifted up on a tree to save Israel from the deadly snakes.  He taught that He was the Manna, the Bread of Heaven that God sent down to sustain the life of His people in the wilderness.  We see Jesus in the story of Abraham, who was willing to offer up his only begotten son in order to fulfill God’s will.  We see Him walking in the midst of the burning, fiery furnace along with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  We also see Him in the story of Jonah who spent three days inside a great whale, but was “resurrected” to be a sign that would save the Ninevites.  These are just a few examples.  Everywhere we look in scripture we see another glimpse of the Savior.  Some are very obvious, while others are deeply hidden and require some maturity to comprehend.  We cannot understand God’s Word, or unlock its wisdom and mysteries all at once, or by our own intelligence – the Word of God is spiritually discerned.  “It is the Spirit that quickeneth [breathes life and understanding into the Word]; the flesh [our own intelligence and comprehension] profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63).

 

It should be no surprise to us that we can discover Jesus in every chapter of the Bible.  The first verses of the Gospel of John reveal to us that Jesus is the Word of God.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.  In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4).  It was Jesus, the Word of God, Who formed all things along with God the Father and His Holy Spirit.  The Word is the direct expression of the Father.  He is the brightness of God’s glory, and the express image of His person.  He is the One that upholds all things by the Word of his power (See Hebrews 1:3).  The Father thought it, and the Son spoke it into existence.  This is why Jesus said that no man could know the Father except by the Son.  It is Jesus, the Word of God, Who reveals the Father to us, and that Word is not just ink in a book.  It is Life and it is Light.  The same Word that formed the worlds and hung the stars is mighty enough to change our vile bodies so that they may be fashioned like His glorious body according to the power that He has to subdue all things to Himself (See Philippians 3:21).

 

As we examine the life of Jesus, we can see a pattern which God intends for us all to follow in order to fulfill the Father’s ultimate purpose for us.  Our gifts and our ministries may all differ and be unique in their own ways, but our calling is the same.  We have been called to walk in Christ’s footsteps and to follow where He leads us so that we can be conformed into His image.  Scripture tells us that God “saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” (2 Timothy 1:9).

 

In his message, According To the Pattern, E. H. Britain wrote:

 

“I must assume that my readers are acquainted with the scripture that says, ‘For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among MANY BRETHREN,’ (Romans 8:29), and that you all aspire to be numbered among HIS BRETHREN, and to come up to the fullness of the stature of the man Christ Jesus, into SONSHIP.  That, to my thinking, is THE PRIZE OF THE HIGH CALLING OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS.  Having a glimpse of that prize, I can say with Paul, ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 3:13, 14).

 

“I’m sure you will agree with me, that if we are to apprehend (win the prize), we must walk in Jesus’ steps; suffer the things that He suffered; be made perfect through the things we suffer even as He was perfected through suffering; ‘For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.’ (Hebrews 2:10).  We can hardly expect to win the prize, and come up into sonship except we suffer with Him, for ‘If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.’ (2 Corinthians 2:12).”

 

The sons of God are known by many names in the Bible, and it can get confusing without a proper overview.  The important thing to understand is that, regardless of how they are portrayed, or the name used to describe them, they are a collective group of believers, both male and female, who God will raise up in the fullness of His time.  The Manchild, the 144,000, The Bride of Christ, the Virgin Daughter of Jerusalem, Joel’s Army, the Riders of the White Horse, the Two Witnesses, etc., all refer to the manifested sons of God, and to different aspects of their ministry. 

 

Let’s look at the pattern that the Son of God has set for us so that we can both anticipate and embrace what He has in store for those who love Him, for those who aspire to sonship.  After all, isn’t it in the heart of every son to be like his father?  Even when the example that they set is not such a good one, sons will still seek to copy their dads.  How much more so for us who have the perfect Father?

 

BORN OF A VIRGIN

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin.  Mary and Joseph were betrothed to each other, but they had not yet consummated their relationship.  The seed of man was not necessary for conception because Jesus was born of God.  In much the same way, our new birth in Christ has nothing to do with the seed or the will of man.  It is purely the work of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6).  Our natural birth could only produce a carnal, fleshly nature – the nature of our father Adam who transgressed God’s will.  Our spiritual birth, however, has produced a godly, spiritual nature – the nature of Jesus Christ Who was obedient to God’s will.  We now have been “…born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23).  John wrote, “But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12, 13). 

 

Unlike Jesus, we were all born into sin because we are all the product of Adam’s seed.  Fortunately, our story didn’t end there, for we have also been given the opportunity to be born of Abraham’s seed, by faith in Christ.  “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29).  The Bible says that the children of the flesh (the natural descendants of Abraham) are not the promised seed, but those who walk in the same faith as their father Abraham are the children of God.

 

The story of Abraham and Sarah speaks to the whole principle of God Himself producing a holy seed through His direct intervention in our lives.  This couple had no children, but God spoke to Abraham and promised him a son through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  We’re told that Abraham believed God and that faith was counted as righteousness to the Lord.  The couple then waited, and waited, and waited for the promised seed.  They were both about a hundred years old before God finally fulfilled His Word.  Abraham didn’t even consider that his body was probably incapable of producing seed at that point, nor that Sarah’s womb was now dead.  He believed that whatever God promised, He was able to perform.  And He did!

 

Being born again is the first step in following the pattern of our Lord’s life and stepping into sonship.  This is not a work of our own will, strength, or pedigree; but a work of God and of His Holy Spirit.  It starts us on our journey of following our Lord.

 

THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS

After Jesus’ birth, when Herod was made aware of the appearance of the Messiah by the wise men from the East, he sought to eliminate the child by slaughtering all of the young males in Bethlehem from two years old and under.  It was a wicked act by a power-hungry man who wished to protect his position and not disturb the status quo.  His plan didn’t work because God warned Joseph in a dream of Herod’s treachery, and Joseph removed his family from Bethlehem to Egypt before Herod’s soldiers arrived. 

 

There are those in this world who are very afraid of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  To them, it usurps and undermines their politics and civil authority.  Fundamental Christian doctrine is considered radical by many, and, increasingly, those who believe and defend it will be targeted.  We have seen such moves in communist, fascist, and socialist countries, and it hasn’t been pretty.  Christians have been imprisoned and even martyred as a result of such crackdowns on true godliness.  Churches have been allowed to exist, but they are monitored and regulated to comply with state guidelines.  Their pastors are forced comply or face brutal consequences.  Make no mistake, however, it is Satan who is behind such efforts to steal, to kill, and to destroy the witnesses of Christ in the earth.  Just as he inspired Herod to try to destroy the Christ, he is moving on the hearts and minds of wicked men to destroy the sons of God.  Jesus warned His disciples that the time would come when men would kill them and think that they were doing God’s work (John 16:2).  The Apostle Paul was guilty of this before Christ won his heart and turned him toward the light on the road to Damascus.  John told his fellow believers “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” (1 John 3:13).  It is apparent that the time is fast approaching when the powers of wickedness will seek to snuff out the witnesses of Jesus Christ.  He isn’t concerned so much with the bench warmers, but even in their immature state, Satan is frightened by those determined to follow Jesus.

 

There are also hirelings behind the pulpits of many churches.  They would rather silence the witness of staunch believers than to stand up boldly for the truth of God’s Word.  Like Herod, they don’t want to disturb the status quo.  Finnish Pastor and Bishop Juhana Pohjola, along with fellow Lutheran and members of the Finnish Parliament Paivi Rasanen are currently being tried for hate-speech in their country for publicly supporting what the Bible says about sex and marriage.  If convicted, they could face fines and up to two years in prison.  This case could lay the groundwork for other suits which could ban the Bible altogether in Finland.  All of this in a democratic country that supposedly supports free speech!  Does any of this sound familiar?  We have seen them testing the waters with similar cases here in the United States.  The Pastors should be a bulwark against those forces that seek to destroy the truth and slaughter the faith of God’s innocents.  Our hearts and ears must be alert to what the Spirit is saying to us today, and we must be willing to flee into “Egypt” when the Lord tells us it is time.

 

FLIGHT INTO EGYPT

When the angel warned Joseph about Herod’s plans, he took his family into Egypt until after Herod’s death.  There they were hidden and kept safe until the threat was past.  Instead of returning to Bethlehem, they settled in Nazareth to be safe.  Symbolically, Egypt represents this world’s socio-economic system.  That is where God chose to hide His Son.  It is there that the Lord will hide His chosen adopted sons also.  The Prophet Hosea foretold this event when he said, “Out of Egypt have I called My Son.” (Hosea 11:1).  The Herods of the world will seek to destroy those who are seeking the high calling of God as witnesses of Jesus Christ.  They will seek to silence it forever.  The first place they will look is in the churches, but God’s chosen will have already departed the dead, apostate churches.  They will hear the Spirit’s call to “…come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17). 

 

The Manchild, or sons of God (for they are one), will be hidden and helped by God in the world.  “And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:16, 17).  We don’t know exactly what that will look like, but we know that God will protect and provide for His Dear Ones.  Just as He did for the Prophet Elijah when He kept him and fed him for three and a half years with the help of the ravens as he fled from Ahab and Jezebel, He will do the same for His chosen.

 

IN THE TEMPLE

At twelve years old, Jesus went with His parents to Jerusalem for the yearly feast of Passover.  When they left Jerusalem to return to their home in Nazareth, they were traveling with some of their extended family and friends, so there were a large number of people in their company.  Mary and Joseph must have trusted that Jesus had joined himself with other family members for the trip back home.  When they were one day out of Jerusalem, however, they discovered that their young son was not with any of the family.  It was a total of three days before they were able to get back to Jerusalem and find their son.  Scripture says that Jesus had tarried behind in Jerusalem, and they found Him in the temple “sitting in the midst of the doctors [of the law], both hearing them, and asking them questions.  And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.” (Luke 2:46, 47).  When they found Him, He told them, “How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49).

 

The mistake that the Church is most guilty of today is that, like Jesus’ parents, they suppose that Jesus is in their company when, in fact, they have been traveling without Him and are not aware of it!  Jesus is, and always has been, about His Father’s business.  Oftentimes the Church’s agenda is different from the Father’s business.  They assume that their programs, crusades, and outreaches are all according to the Father’s will when they are actually born out of their own heart and will and not from the Spirit’s direction.  Jesus’ parents thought they had fulfilled their duty by going to the feast and then returning home.  The Father had much more in store for His Son, however, and Jesus knew it and didn’t want to miss a moment of it!

 

God is raising a people within the church who are questioning those in authority, those who should have the answers and be knowledgeable in the Word of God.  The understanding that God has given them seems beyond their years.  It does not come from their natural understanding, but from the from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  In them the scripture is being fulfilled that says, “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for Thy testimonies are my meditation.” (Psalm 119:99).  Though they partake of others’ ministries and are members of the Body of Christ, their path often leads in another direction than many they seek fellowship with.  When others are content to go up to the feast and then go home, they are moved to tarry behind and seek the Father’s business.  These are they who don’t want to follow after man, but want to learn to follow their Master and Lord.  They are like Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet to hear His word, rather than Martha, who raced to and fro to serve, but missed the most needful thing (Luke 10:41, 42).

 

Jesus was content to be subject to His parents for a time, but God was preparing Him for the work that He had called Him for.  When that day came, He had to leave all earthly influences behind to follow God’s will and finish the Father’s business.  Those who accept the call to sonship are being prepared and equipped for a unique work in the end time.  All creation is in expectation of that to happen.  “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God…For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Romans 8:19, 22).

 

BAPTISM

At the age of thirty, Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized in water.  John hesitated, feeling it was more appropriate for himself to be baptized by Jesus than the other way around, but the Lord told John, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:14).  Jesus’ baptism was unlike any other, however.  When He came up from the water, the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove; and a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.”

 

When we receive Christian baptism, we put on (become clothed with) Jesus Christ and become part of the Body of Christ.  “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27).  “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...” (1 Corinthians 12:13).  God recognizes us as His sons and daughters much like He did Jesus.  Of course, we are yet very immature and must grow up into full sonship, but the presence of the Spirit in our lives marks us as the children of God.  “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14). 

 

Many today minimize Christian baptism saying that it is merely symbolic of something more important.  Jesus did it, however, to set an example to all who would follow Him.  He commanded His disciples to “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19, 20).  The thief on the cross is the one exception to this rule.  He was about to die and could not be baptized.  He didn’t need to be planted together in the likeness of Jesus’ death, because he was really dying.  We need to beware that we don’t turn the exception into the rule.  I know that there are those who have been born again and have gone months or even years before being baptized in water.  I do not say that these will not be saved if in ignorance.  What is apparent, though, is the need for those who are set in the church to teach and to lead in emphasizing the meaning, importance, and urgency of baptism to those who are new to the faith. 

 

TEMPTATION OF JESUS

Immediately after Jesus was baptized by John, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting for 40 days the Lord was hungry, and that’s when the enemy appeared to tempt Him in His flesh saying, “If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” (Matthew 4:3).  The enemy systematically tempted Jesus with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.  Through each temptation the Lord stood firm, until His enemy was forced to flee away for a time. 

 

Temptation is inevitable for every person born into this world.  James wrote, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” (James 1:14).  No one escapes this.  The ways in which you and I are tempted are not unique.  You may feel ashamed and embarrassed and think that you’re the only Christian that is allured by your temptation, but it isn’t so.  Paul says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  This is part of our preparation for sonship.  We must learn how to resist the devil and overcome the flesh.  If we follow our Lord, He will teach us how to engage in spiritual warfare and trust Him for the victory and the way of escape.  Jesus has been through it, so He can lead us out of it!  “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).  “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:16, 17).

 

There is a rock upon which the Lord has built His Church.  That rock is the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  The gates of hell cannot prevail against that rock!  By the power of our faith in Jesus Christ, we are made overcomers as we follow after Him.  It is because He overcame that we can overcome.  He has delivered into our hands the keys of the Kingdom of God and the power to prevail against our enemies!  He has also given us spiritual armor to help protect us in the fight.  Let’s fight the good fight therefore, and lay hold of eternal life!

 

THE MINISTRY OF JESUS

There is so much that can be said about Jesus’ earthly ministry.  He embodied all of the gifts and all of the ministries that God has to bestow.  He was an apostle, a teacher, a healer, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor/shepherd, and a preacher.  He had the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, understanding, discernment, faith, miracles, and government.  The Bible tells us that those who heard Him “... were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22).  His ministry only lasted three and a half years; yet, in that time He laid down all the fundamental truth that we will ever need to grow into His likeness.  Much of what He said and did during His ministry was never recorded.  John tells us that if it all were written down, the earth couldn’t contain the volumes that would be written.  What we have, though, is all that we need to be perfected in Him. 

 

Jesus grew and matured for thirty years before He worked His first miracle or called His first disciple.  When the Father’s time was right, the Son stepped forth in all His glory and shed His light upon the world.  Those who are preparing for sonship are, right now, in that maturing phase.  They are learning to hear their Father’s voice and to be obedient to His will.  They are sometimes rebuked and chastened; but all the time they are instructed and encouraged to be like their older Brother, Jesus.  Like Joseph in the Old Testament, they may at present be enduring some trials and sufferings; but ultimately they will step into their ministry and be able to say, “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:20). 

 

Do not despair, dear child of God, the Father is etching His nature in your heart and perfecting His love for the world to see.  “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3).  “But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” (Malachi 4:2).

 

The Lord has given each of His children gifts and talents that are especially suited to them.  They can only operate effectively through the faith of each individual. Their love for the Body of Christ motivates them to go foward.  Like the precious anointing oil that was poured on the head of Aaron the priest and flowed down his entire body to the skirts of his robe, God has anointed Jesus Christ (the Head of the Church).  That anointing flows down from Him to each of His elect.  Our ministries receive power and authority by that anointing, and by Jesus’ commission to each of us: “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore.” (Matthew 28:18, 19).  Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father.” (John 14:12).  It is also written, “And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days [three and a half years], clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelations 11:3).

 

 

BETRAYAL

Just as Cain despised Abel, and Joseph’s brothers hated him, Jesus was not well received by His brethren the Jews.  Even among those who followed Him and were His inner circle, there was one who would betray Him. 

 

Hatred and betrayal is something that the child of God must be prepared for.  There will always be those who despise the light and will do whatever they can to extinguish the truth.  We need to remember that it is the truth they hate – we are just the bearers of the truth.  According to tradition, most of the twelve disciples of our Lord experienced death at the hands of those who hated the Gospel they preached.  Paul was beheaded in Rome by the Emperor Nero.  Those who followed the Lord in the first century understood that there was a cost to discipleship.  This is a lesson that we need to remind ourselves of.

 

BEFORE THE SECULAR AND ECCLESIASTICAL RULERS

Jesus, when He was tried, had to stand before the high priests, the king of Judea, and the Roman governor.  He had the grace to remain silent when it was necessary, and to speak only the things that His Father gave Him to say.  His life, His teachings, and His conduct were enough of a defense to anyone who was watching and listening.  It was God’s will that Jesus would become the sacrificial Lamb, without spot or blemish, to take away the sin of the world.

 

Jesus told His disciples, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9).  Those Christians who attain to sonship will find that the world has little patience for their ministry.  The world will hate their witness the same as they hated Jesus’ witness.  Believers will be dragged before magistrates and rulers and will be falsely accused and maligned for all that they say and do.  The Lord will be with them in that hour, however, and will give them the grace to stand firmly for the truth.  Jesus said, “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.” (Luke 12:11, 12).

 

DEATH

At the end of His three and a half year ministry, Jesus was delivered to the high priests and Roman authorities, tortured, and crucified.  They had desired to take Him many times before, but His times were in the Father’s hands.  Many of the events and details surrounding His death were prophesied centuries before they occurred, and they happened just as they were written.  Without the shedding of Jesus’ blood there could have been no redemption for mankind.  His was the ultimate love gift to a fallen world. 

 

There will come a day when the powers that are on earth and the evil principalities in the heavens will join forces to stop the Two Witness ministry of Revelations 11.  “And when they shall have finished their testimony [like Jesus, their ministry will last three and a half years], the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.” (Revelations 11:7-9).  Do not fear, though, this is not the end of their story, but a glorious new beginning!

 

RESURRECTION

The grave could not hold the Son of God.  After three days the spirit of life from God entered into Him, and He rose from the dead.  Even death could not defeat Him!  He appeared to His disciples many times after His resurrection, and they became eye witnesses of God’s glory.  The fake news tried to cover up the story – even telling the guards at Jesus’ tomb to lie and say that His disciples had stolen His body.  But the truth was out and literally couldn’t be buried again!

 

In a similar way to Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Two Witnesses will complete their ministry and be delivered to the earthly powers.  “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt [the world, the false church], where also our Lord was crucified…And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.” (Revelations 11:8, 11).

 

ASCENSION

“And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9).  After Jesus had tarried with His disciples for 40 days, He ascended to His Father in heaven.  There He sits to this day on the right hand of God making intercession for the saints in His role of Great High Priest.  He is patiently waiting and expecting for the time when all His enemies (including Satan, death, hell, and the grave) will be made His footstool.  “But this man [Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool.” (Hebrews 10:12, 13).

 

Scripture says of the Two Witnesses that “…they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.” (Revelations 11:12).  Of the Manchild it says, “And she [the Church] brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.” (Revelations 12:5).

 

THE SECOND COMING

We who believe wait for the Lord Himself to return to earth in the same way that He left.  “And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He [Jesus] went up [into the clouds] , behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10, 11).  This time, He is coming to vanquish all His enemies and reward all His saints.  He will establish His throne and rule the nations for 1000 years after which He will bring final judgment and create new heavens and a new earth in which only righteousness will dwell forever and ever.

 

When Jesus returns, He will not be alone.  The sons of God who have followed Him to the very end and have passed through death to eternal life will be with Him on that day.  “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.  And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean…And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelations 19:11-16).  “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads...These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” (Revelations 14:1-5). 

 

I realize that this is a lot to take in for many who have never heard these things taught.  I confess that my knowledge of it all is very elementary at best.  I do believe, however, that the Holy Spirit wants to expand our understanding so that we can comprehend all that God has in store for those who love Him and want to follow in His footsteps.  Paul’s prayer for the believers (which includes you and me) was “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

 

Jesus is our pattern.  He was made flesh and blood for this very reason: that we might see what God looks like in a human form.  If we want to know how God wants us to live, we just need to look to Jesus’ example and walk in His footsteps.  By His great love and grace this is possible.  He not only shows us the way, but He is the way! 

 

We need to be more like the Greek proselytes who came to the disciples and said, “Sirs, we would see Jesus.” It must also be our desire always to see Jesus.  The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and will reveal the Son to us as we seek to know our Master and Savior.  Bless His holy name!