The Ultimate Usurper[s] vs.The Ultimate Ascender[s]
Psalm 24:3 w/ Revelation 13 &
14
Title: “War
with the Saints”
Text: Psalm 24:3-“Who
shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in His holy place?
Theme: Practicing and Promoting the Eight Biblical
Authority Structures
In our
text David is asking two key questions which in essence are focusing on one
truth: Who is able to be in the ultimate place of authority which is in the
presence of God Himself. This is where the saint of today and yesterday had to
be in order to accomplish the will of God by putting themselves under His
ordained authority. That is the application set forth in David’s day and our
present-day situation, but there is coming a day when The Ultimate Usurper [the
Antichrist] will stand in the holy place and The Ultimate Ascenders, the Lord
Jesus Christ and the 144 Thousand will later stand upon the hill of the Lord at
the end of the 70th Week of Daniel.
In that
day the Scripture describes the great celebration that will take place (Revelation
14:1-5) when the Redeemer comes to Zion and God the Father’s Bride, the nation
of Israel, is redeemed finishing the transgression, making an end of sin,
making reconciliation for iniquity, bringing in everlasting righteousness,
sealing up vision and prophecy and anointing the Most Holy who is the Lord
Jesus Christ which completes the six purposes for the 70th Week of
Daniel as the angel Gabriel unfolded to Daniel (Daniel 9:24) over 2,500 years
ago!
However,
before that great event takes place the “War
with the saints” (Daniel 7:21. 25; Revelation 13:7) will be waged by The
Ultimate Usurper who will stand in God’s place of authority, the holy place in
the Temple of God as described by the Lord Jesus Christ: “When ye therefore see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by
Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso reads let him understand”
(Matthew 24:15) at the mid-point of the 70th Week of Daniel as
the angel Gabriel told Daniel: “And he
[the Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with [the] many for one week [7
years] and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it
[the holy place] desolate even until the consummation [End of the 70th
Week] and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate [Antichrist].”
(Daniel 9:27)
So, as
the end of this age draws near the devil’s war with the saints is progressively
escalating at an alarming pace. God’s people are being pummeled with every
known kind of electronic spiritual warfare as the Devil competes for the minds
and souls of men. But, “Souls for Jesus” must be our continuing “Battle Cry”
going forward, for unless the power of God is applied through the gifts He has
given His saints there is no hope for revival which is what is necessary to
bring the Gospel to the multitudes who are lost and undone without the Lord
Jesus Christ!
The
evidence of a decaying culture is obvious to even the casual observer,
especially here at our Truck-Stop Ministry where every type of culture,
community and Christian eventually pass through the door. Just last evening the
Lord brought a young man from Ukraine to our Ministry Van asking “Will you help
me?” I replied “Sure”, long story short he needed some physical help with his
truck and in the process he learned of “The Five Most Important Words in the
Bible” which are “Ye must be born again”!
We are
continuing to pray that this brief encounter will bear fruit that remains, but
in this environment the “Congregation” is fluid, changing every day…even moment
by moment. I told him I would be back in the morning if he needed additional
help as I visit my place of ministry morning and evening, “Trolling for Souls”
as it were and the Lord adds the increase according to His will by arranging
Divine Appointments just like the driver from Ukraine.
Said all
that to say this, it is increasingly evident that culture decay is almost
at its MAX…as in the Days of Noah and the Days of Lot, everything seems to be going
along business as usual as the devil has the culture soaked in his philosophy
and God’s people are mingled in among the masses without much salt or light to
influence the culture’s condition or even its future direction.
REVIVAL…NATIONWIDE REVIVAL…NOT REPUBLICANS is the ONLY CURE! There has
not been nationwide revival since the days Billy Sunday preached and the
country was seemingly transformed. Bars were closed, hookers/Lot Lizards went
home, children were educated in the finer points of holiness and the church was
still the conscience of the country. But that was almost a century ago
magnifying the great need for revival of the saints at this present hour.
In this
Truck-stop environment the major ministry need of the hour is marital related.
There are drivers who are desperate who come up to our Van/Chapel asking for
prayer for their family situation whether it be their wife has gone missing or
they themselves have gotten involved in sin themselves. Most of those the Lord
sends are Believers and my counsel to everyone who has a family is: “You need
to get a day job driving truck at home so that you can be with your family”. It
is impossible to be a good husband and father while driving over the road not
seeing your wife/family for weeks at a time!
And, if
it is the Lord’s will that a husband and or father drive truck for a living, the
Lord will supply the job the driver needs in order to fulfill His will. Works
every time it is tried and in the almost five plus years of ministering to Drivers
here at the Truck-stop we have seen the Lord answer prayer for those who choose
to follow His Word! This absence of the husband/father presents another major
issue that on the surface may seem minor to some, but it is, I fear, the
major issue concerning the collapse of our culture, our churches, our communities
and ultimately the country as a whole.
Placing
the wife in the husband’s position will cause the eventual usurping of
authority by the wife which also causes the husband to forfeit his position of
authority and his spiritual discernment. Yes, the one who should be in charge,
the one whom God has ordained to be in the position to say “The Buck stops here!”
is put on the shelf and the one who is not designed for this position of
authority is forced to take on the pressures of being in complete charge of the
family. This error plays right into the devil’s hand for it has been his scheme
from the beginning in the garden to attack the weaker vessel when she is not
with or under the authority of her husband! Mark it down, God is not happy with
this situation!
In the
majority of the cases we deal with here at the Truck-stop, the wife/mother has
been forced to take charge and play the role of father/mother/home-manager/financial
expert etc. etc. etc. This has happened out of necessity and even though
“Necessity is the Mother of Invention”, in this particular case, it is NOT
God’s invention or design but the obvious
design of the devil himself!
God did
not design the woman to be under the pressures that only a man is able to
successfully withstand. That’s right, regardless of what is being pushed into the
minds of God’s people by the ever strengthening culture in which we live, God
has designed a glorious calling for the wife/mother and what the world offers
can’t ‘Hold a candle’ to the magnificent plan for a wife and mother which He
has clearly spelled out in His precious Word.
Now in
case you might be thinking “What does all
this have to do with our text
Psalm 24:3?” trust me, even though this may seem to be a “Rabbit Trail” without
regard for the Title, Text or Theme as announced at the beginning, we are
definitely headed in the right direction, because we must start where the
rubber meets the road, where we are living right now, in the nasty now and now,
because things occurring here in our present cultural situation can not be
described as ‘Sweet’ no matter how you shake them out!
The title
once again is “The Ultimate Usurper vs. The Ultimate Ascender”. The text Psalm
24:3 is asking the question: “Who shall
ascend into Thy Holy Hill, and who shall stand in Thy Holy Place?” There is
a group of men who are prophesied to stand with the Lamb on Mt. Zion during the
time of the end (Revelation 14:1) and they are The Ultimate Ascenders. However,
we, also, as Christians are to spend our time abiding in Jesus in essence
putting ourselves under His authority structure of protection thereby living
holy lives upon His Holy Hill at the foot of the Cross!
But, during
the time of the end there will be one who will stand in the Holy Place who is
The Ultimate Usurper also known as the Antichrist. One application of our text
looks forward to that day when The Ultimate Ascenders, The 144 Thousand Sons of
Israel will be the focal point of The Ultimate Usurper’s great wrath during the
Day of the Lord, which is the most prophesied event in Scripture!
Notice,
our companion texts are Revelation 13 where the actions of the Antichrist and
False Prophet are described. Immediately, Revelation 14 presents God’s response
as He counters Satan’s evil design of distraction, deception and destruction
when his “War with the saints” (Revelation13:7)
reaches its zenith as foretold in Revelation 12. This includes the Great
Tribulation when he wages his most intense war with the saints after which he
turns his focus upon the Jews.
We are
told that after the faithful in Israel are given protection and sustenance in
the wilderness (Revelation 12:6, 14), then, Satan’s target turns to “The remnant/rest of her seed”
(Revelation 12:17) referring to those faithful Jews who remain in the battle for souls across the
planet from which the 144 Thousand will be called and eventually sealed
(Revelation 7:1-8) just before the “Wrath
of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:17), which is also called the Day of the Lord,
begins. The 144 Thousand are God’s protected (Revelation 9:4) kingdom of priests
and holy nation during His time of universal judgment (Revelation 8-19) which
describes the Day of the Lord in great detail.
So, now that
we have jumped from the present-day situation where there are multitudes of
usurpers of authority to the last Ultimate Usurper, let us look at exactly how
we got to this point where the foundations are literally being destroyed as we
speak. Foundations? What foundations you ask…that is exactly where the devil
begins his authority usurping plan…at the family’s foundation…just as he did in
the very beginning. The Lord has designed Eight Authority Foundations for the
believer’s joy and protection. Joy comes when the pressures of life are given
to the Lord through His ordained authorities. Protection and safety are just
the by-products of a well-oiled authority structure operating 24-7 according to
His precious Word!
Operating
24-7 through the Word is what Solomon told his son way back yonder almost a
full Millennium before God visited His planet the first time! Here is what
Solomon said: “My son, keep thy father’s
Commandment and forsake not the Law of thy mother, write them upon the table of
thy heart, tie them about thy neck. When thou goest it shall lead thee, when
thou sleepest it shall keep thee, and when thou awakest it shall talk with
thee. For the Commandment is a lamp, and the Law is Light, and reproofs of
instruction are the way of life.” (Proverbs 6:20-23)
What it
took Solomon to say in quite a number of words, Jesus said in just three: “Abide in Me” (John 15:4). This was His
primary command to the eleven the night before the Cross. These three words
rightly understood cover the gamut of the Christian’s walk with the King of
Glory because if they are obeyed we will continue under His authority 24-7! Oh,
the great simplicity that is in Christ Jesus! However, as He continued
explaining this great truth of communion with Him, He underlined the key to
remaining connected to the Vine in (v.7) of the same chapter: “If ye abide in Me, and My Words abide
in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.”
The key
to discipleship is located in this one simple verse. Notice, Solomon’s
instruction does not differ from Jesus’, for Solomon’s instruction expands and
explains the effects of the abiding Word of God in the heart of the believer describing
in detail the 24-7 effect of abiding in the Living Word which is The Lord Jesus
Christ Himself!
If the believer practices this simple but
profound truth, then they will bring themselves under the authority of God as
the Holy Spirit speaks through the Word guiding and directing the saint
throughout the entire day putting them in the battle ready, under authority position
in order to reach and teach “Souls for Jesus” which is our continual “Battle
Cry”!
With this simple formula the Lord’s army can go
forth to victory!!
Fielding
an army is not the task of a victorious general, but, fielding a battle ready
army is how the victory is won. In today’s environment it appears that the one
who has the biggest army is the winner, but that’s not the way God looks upon His
great need for training warriors of the Cross. The great omission in
Christianity one preacher has rightly said is Discipleship. Training warriors for the spiritual battlefield
begins and ends with those three words Jesus spoke. He then described and added
the ammo’, the offensive spiritual weapon which is the Sword of the Spirit
(Ephesians 6:17).
Paul also
keys in on the second offensive weapon (Ephesians 6:18) which in reality is the
first because without prayer there would be no abiding in Jesus, there would be
no communion with the Captain of our salvation who provides the info’ necessary
to put our offensive efforts at the right place moment by moment as He receives
the instruction from our Father, the General in charge, who provides moment by
moment pin-point strikes against Satan’s kingdom of darkness.
This is
in essence the work of the priest unto God! Simple child-like obedience, being
led by the Voice of the Holy Spirit is the believer’s way of being effective in
the battle for souls that continues to rage in the heavens 24-7. There are
those who need our prayer ministry of intercession, but, it must be led by the
Holy Spirit in order for it to mesh with God’s eternal plan for the Church
ordained from the foundation of the world! (Ephesians 3:10, 11)
This is
why we need a clear understanding of God’s plan for getting under and staying
under the authority He has vested in us according to the Lord Jesus Christ’s
first Great Commission. Matthew 28:18 is the text: “All power [authority] is given unto Me in heaven and in earth”. This
is where it all begins. Jesus has all authority, He is King of kings and Lord
of lords. And, because He dwells in us by His Holy Spirit He has vested in us
His authority to go forth and reach the world for Him by winning and working
amidst His Kingdom where He rules and reigns. Then, and only then, we become a
living extension of His great love for souls as we abide in Him and listen to
His Voice moment by moment.
As long
as we get under and stay under His authority we abide in Him…very simple…only
then, does He communicate His specific and precise orders in the ongoing battle
for souls…He speaks NOT to a
rebel… and the definition of a rebel is any person who refuses to stay under His
God-ordained authority!! There is no gray area, its all black and white, you
are either under or you’re not, its that simple! The following outline provides
specific instruction for staying under God’s ordained authority:
Eight Specific Authority Structures/Principles
of the New Testament
I. Submitting Yourselves One to Another in
the Fear of God (I Peter 5:5)
A. Filled with the Spirit (Ephesians
5:18-21)
B. Clothed with humility (I Peter 5:5)
II. Wives Submitting to Husbands (5)
New Testament Occurrences
A. Filled with the Spirit (Ephesians
5:18-22)
B. Filled with the Word (Colossians
3:16-18)
C. Chaste conversation coupled with
fear (I Peter 3:1ff)
D. A meek and quiet spirit (I Peter
3:4-6)
E.
Sober, loving, discreet, chaste, good (Titus 2:4ff)
III. Children
obey your parents (Ephesians 6:1)
A. Filled with the Spirit (Ephesians
5:18, 19)
B. Honor thy father and mother
(Ephesians 6:2)
IV. Servants
be obedient to them that are your masters (3) New Testament Occurrences
A. Filled with the Spirit (Ephesians
5:18-6:8)
B. Filled with the Word (Colossians
3:16-25)
C. With all fear (I Peter 2:18)
V. Saints
Submitting to Civil Government (3) New Testament Occurrences
A. Let every soul be subject unto the
higher powers (Romans 13:1-7)
B. To be ready to every good work (Titus
3:1-3)
C. For so is the will of God... (I Peter
2:13ff)
VI. Younger
submitting to the elder (I Peter 5:5)
A. As the elders are submissive to the
Chief Shepherd (I Peter 5:1ff)
B. Clothed with humility (I Peter 5:5)
VII. Saints
submitting to them which have the rule over you
A. Remembering them...following them
(Hebrews 13:7)
B.
Obeying them...submitting yourselves (Hebrews 13:17)
VIII. Saints
submitting to God
A. In humility (James 4:6)
B. Drawing nigh to God (James 4:8)
Seven Biblical
Principles of Authority
1.
God Is
The Ultimate Authority (All Authority Proceeds from His Throne)
2.
God Has
Established Institutions (Priesthood-Family-Church-Government)
3.
God Gave
Each Institution Positions
4.
God
Ordained Heads/Delegates (Fathers/Mothers/Pastor Teacher/Elder/Bishop,
President, Governor/Police etc.)
5.
God’s
Plan is for All to be Under (1) or More Authorities at All times (Physical
& Spiritual)
6.
God’s
Word Provides Specific Boundaries for Each (Areas of Jurisdiction/Control)
7.
God
Blesses & Chastises His People Through His Delegated Authorities
Three
Arenas of Ministerial Exercising of Authority
by the Saint [#1
Restoration of Foundations]
1. Internal
(Mind)-Bringing the mind under the authority of God through memory/meditation
of Scripture is the key!
a. Scripture Memory
b. Scripture Meditation
2. External
(Ministry to Saints)-All external ministry flows out of a mind that is under
God’s authority
a. Intercession-Spirit-led
b. Interaction-Spirit-led
3. External
(Ministry to Sinners)-Witnessing and living the Christ-life before the lost
flows out of a mind that is under!
a. Intercession-Spirit-led
b. Interaction-Witnessing/living
Developing a practical plan for staying
under at all times is necessary for effective spiritual warfare by the saint.
God gave the leaders of His people the keys to staying under His authority
beginning with Moses extending down through the New Testament writers of
Scripture including the Lord’s teaching in the Gospels. While there are over
thirty references to Scripture memory/meditation throughout the Word of God the
following ten examples give ample proof of its necessity:
1. Moses: “The LORD our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the LORD thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy might; And these words which I command thee this day shall
be in thy heart. (Dt. 6:4-6)
2. Joshua: “This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate day
and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein, for then thou shalt make thy
way prosperous and then thou shalt have
good success (Joshua 1:8)
3. David: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the
counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the
seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the
Law of the LORD and in His Law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm
1:1, 2)
4. Solomon: “My son, keep thy father’s Commandment, and
forsake not the Law of thy mother, bind
them continually upon thy heart, tie them about thy neck; when thou goest it
shall lead thee when thou sleepest it shall keep thee and when thou awakest it
shall talk with thee.” (Proverb 6:20-22)
5. Jeremiah: “Thy Words were found and I did eat them, and
Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by Thy
name O LORD God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16)
6. Jesus: “If ye abide in Me and My Words abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.”
(John 15:7)
7. Paul: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, in
all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in songs and hymns and
spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
(Colossians 3:16)
8. Peter: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of
the Word that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2)
9. James: “Receive with meekness the engrafted Word
that is able to save [deliver] your souls”. (James 1:22)
10. John: “I have written unto you young men because ye
are strong and the Word of God abideth in you and ye have overcome the wicked
one.” (I John 2:14)
The written testimony of these ten men
from the eternal Word of God should cause ANY
born-again Christian to begin immediately memorizing and meditating upon
Scripture recognizing that without the indwelling Word we become victims of the
world, the flesh and the devil, but with it we will be victorious in Christ Jesus!
AMEN and AMEN!! Check out our free Memory Partner Plan at: http://www.btmi.org/tools/pdf/MemoryPartnerProgram.pdf and get
started NOW!
Now here is a tried and proven method that
WORKS by utilizing the above memory plan. First of all, you must have your
memory cards with you at all times. If you are serious about memorizing and
meditating upon Scripture this should not be a big issue, but you will be
surprised how much time you have if only you have your cards available. On this
subject one Preacher has rightly said “A shirt without a pocket is
demon-possessed” HAHAA…Ya' gotta' carry Memory Cards/Tracts somewhere, brethren!
Secondly, it is important to memorize the
address so that the Lord can key your mind onto the Scripture He wants to
communicate through “BY THE NUMBERS” of the reference. Trust me, this WORKS!
The Lord put me in a big rig for seven years to develop this simple but
effective plan for communicating with Him through His Word…IT WORKS!
As you drive, or in any life situation,
numbers are passing you by in your daily walk with Him as you go through your
day, especially if you are looking and
listening for His voice, Then,
the Scripture you have memorized along with the address/reference is available
for Him to key upon to speak to you
through His Word. Sounds simple but IT WORKS!
Needless to say, you must be “PRAYED UP
& UNDER HIS AUTHORITY” which means nothing between your soul and the
Savior! But, the amazing and miraculous working of the Lord though His Word
guarantees that the voice you are hearing in your ear is His Voice because your
mind is totally given over to Him through His Word…walking with the King…seeing
the Kingdom moving and operating all around you as you meditate upon His
precious and holy Word! Now, you are ready for battle, “Souls for Jesus” must
be your continuing Battle Cry as you walk with the King
.
.
Then, when The Ultimate Usurper makes his
entrance upon the planet in our faces with his spiritual schemes and miracles
to deceive, those of us who are prepared for the battle and know how to walk
with the King in victory will win every time through the precious power of the
Lord Jesus Christ’s blood and the word of our testimony, for we will be as pure
as the wind driven snow! (Revelation 12:10, 11)
Chaplain LEWolf www.btmi.org I-85 Exit 35 SC McPilot Stop in, and please pray for our ministry!
