SPIRITUAL WARFARE
(continued)
“And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Rev. 19:14).
Bear in mind — the Revelation is not a re-viewing of history, nor is
it a preview of future world events. Rather, it is just what it claims to be
— THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST — signifying that it is a
super-view of the unfolding of the spiritual life of every son of God and
of every man! The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible, not
because it is the end of any revelation from God, but because it carries us
into the revelation process as far as any outer scripture can. After this, it
becomes one’s own unfoldment and one’s inner knowing and hearing of
the Father’s voice that becomes his scripture. The Bible is actually a
book about the inner scripture, it is like a schoolmaster to bring us to the
life and power of the Christ within, and this is as far as any book or
teacher can bring us: to the realization that the revelation of Jesus Christ
is a process taking place within us! Let us then reverently take our
places beside the astonished prophet and watch as the Christ and His
heavenly armies ride into the world of men!
No interpretation of the white horses in this chapter can be correct
which does not recognize the connection between the similar vision in
chapter six, though the two are not identical. The difference is that the
white horse of chapter six portrays the beginning or commencement of
Christ’s warfare as He rides forth in the individual lives of His called and
chosen elect to subdue all things within our personal earth. He is both
the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning of the
process and the ending of it! In chapter six there is one horse and one
Rider — He appears as “the Alpha,” that is, “the first,” riding out of the
inner sanctum of the spirit of each of us, conquering and to conquer. In
chapter nineteen, on the other hand, the vision shows us the end or
consummation of Christ’s warfare, He appears as “the Omega,”
completing His redemptive and restorative work, as both He and all the
perfected sons of God ride forth to subdue all things everywhere to their
reign; all those “firstfruits” whom He has conquered now ride with Him,
so we see the Rider on the white horse followed by armies of heaven on
white horses, going forth to subdue the nations and all things unto God
and His Christ. Isn’t it wonderful!
My heart’s desire is that all who read these truths may be filled with
the divine conviction that God our Father is preparing a people to share
the manifest image of Christ and reign with Him in His kingdom.
Herein is to be found the real meaning, yea, the vital difference between
the Rider on the white horse in chapter six and the Rider of the white
horse in chapter nineteen. The Rider on the white horse in chapter six is
a solitary Rider, crowned with a single victor’s crown, whereas the Rider
of the white horse in chapter nineteen is crowned with many crowns and
is accompanied by immense and powerful armies astride a host of
horses out of the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. It should not be
difficult for any to understand that the solitary Rider wearing the single
crown is none other than the forerunner, our Lord Jesus Christ, in His
singular victory over sin, death, and hell — riding forth as the glorious
Captain of our salvation to extend that victory into the consciousness
and experience of each member of His elect body, the sons of God. He
must complete His conquest within our mind, heart, and life before we,
in Him, can press the battle onward to the rest of creation!
When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in chapter nineteen
He does not come alone. Long millenniums ago Enoch prophesied of
this appearing of the promised One, saying, “Behold the Lord cometh
WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF HIS SAINTS (or, holy myriads of
Himself) to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all…” (Jude
14,15). John with wonder beheld the scene and wrote, “The armies, the
ones in heaven, were following Him upon white horses.” Christ Jesus is
the Head and the Leader as He goes before; His holy ones follow in His
train, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God; and these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.
Can you not see the mystery? They are represented as armies! They
come forth as a body of Warriors! He has many under His command!
The armies of the heavenlies are His, and He does battle with them, by
them, through them, and as them, even “the called, the chosen, and
faithful.” There is no infantry. There really is no cavalry, for all the
horses are white, signifying that every one who follows Him is of
exalted rank. It is an army of princes, a host of mighty dignities, for He
rides as “King of kings, and Lord of lords!” He is the Leader, yet as He
is, so are we! It is the corporate Christ! It is one new man, one glorious
Head and body! It is not Christ and us — it is simply Christ! “For as
the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that
one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ” (I Cor. 12:12).
Moreover, they have no weapons, except the sharp two-edged sword that
proceeds out of HIS MOUTH, which is the Living Word of God! His
Word is our Word, and we have no Word except that which He is and
which we are! This is no earthly warfare, as the carnal-minded literalists
purport. Oh, no! With the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of
God, one can wage only SPIRITUAL WARFARE! Oh, the mystery of
it!
In both cases the color of the horses is white, an emblem of Christ’s
purity and divine holiness. Every other place throughout the visions of
John it stands for righteousness and purity. And in Zechariah 14:20 this
purity is connected to horses. “In that day shall the bells of the horses
(that is the strength of all) ring out, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD.”
White also bespeaks of light — illumination. These are the qualities that
characterize, not only the firstborn Son of God, but also His many
brethren, the sons of God. In the messages to the seven churches, the
out-called, challenging them to overcome, we read, “I counsel thee to
buy of me…white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed” (Rev. 3:18).
This is naught but the transfiguring glory of Christ, as it is written, “And
He was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and
His raiment was white as the light” (Mat. 17:2). The light is the robe of
divine majesty, the incorruptible life of God in the spirit emanating from
the nature of absolute holiness that illumines and quickens spirit, soul,
and body. This is the Spirit by which Jesus was raised from the dead,
even the spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:4). It shines out through these vessels
of clay and transforms us into the incorruptible nature of the indwelling
spirit! In this very hour every one who is called to sonship to God is
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, and we are being changed,
transformed, transfigured, metamorphosed into the same image, even as
by the spirit of the Lord! (II Cor. 4:18).
This great army of perfected and mature sons of God in this new
kingdom day who, in the fullness of time, shall take the kingdom and
rise up in the power and demonstration of the Spirit to destroy the rule of
the flesh, and the glory of Babylon, and the power of sin, sorrow, and
death, is even now, at the time of this writing, being prepared to march
forth and bring to pass this glorious victory. That all who are to be in
this army may be awakened to the urgency of the hour the prophet Joel
calls upon those who see and hear this word of the Lord to sound an
alarm, saying, “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, sound an alarm in my holy
mountain (kingdom): let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the
day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day of darkness and
gloominess (for the natural man), a day of clouds and of thick darkness
(for the carnal mind), as the morning spread upon the mountains: a
great people and a strong; there hath not ever been the like, neither
shall there be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
A fire devoureth before them (God’s Word is a fire); and behind them a
flame burneth: the land (of the flesh) is as a garden of Eden before them,
and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape
them. AND THE LORD SHALL UTTER HIS VOICE BEFORE HIS
ARMY: FOR HIS CAMP IS VERY GREAT: for He is strong that
executeth His word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible
(for the systems of man); and who can abide it?” (Joel 2:1-3,11).
God is preparing such an army! We now want to present this army.
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain…and the Lord shall utter His voice before His army: for His
camp is very great…” The trumpet blows in Zion — mount Zion. The
army of the Lord is in Zion! So much of the book of Revelation is
rooted in the prophecies of the Old Testament. The people who hear this
trumpet and are called to battle by it are seen by John. “And I looked,
and lo, a Lamb stood on mount Zion, and with Him an hundred forty and
four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their foreheads”
(Rev. 14:1).
This company of 144,000 stands upon mount Zion in all the nature,
glory, and majesty of their Redeemer. Mount Zion, the highest hill in
Jerusalem, represents the very highest position attainable in God’s
kingdom. Such are the ruling class in the capital city of the kingdom of
our Lord, the New Jerusalem, prefigured by king David of old who
dwelt on the natural mount Zion in the earthly Jerusalem. It was upon
mount Zion that David built his citadel and royal residence. From there
he reigned. Mount Zion was thus the center of government for the
whole nation of Israel! This company, standing on the heavenly and
spiritual mount Zion, followers of the Lamb, can represent nothing other
than those who have followed Jesus all the way from mount Calvary to
mount Zion, who suffered with Him even unto death (to self), and shall
now reign with Him upon His throne forevermore! They are
overcomers. Before coming to the throne, like king David, they have
engaged in warfare, fought many battles, gained the victory, and
possessed the kingdom. They are “the armies which are in heaven”
which follow Him who sits upon the white horse, and they too ride
“upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, clean and white.”
What a scene! The horse is an animal that men ride. It is like a car
— it’s a vehicle. The horse in scripture is a symbol of speed and
strength in war. In its spiritual meaning it speaks of the Word of God
coming through His sons with STRENGTH AND SWIFTNESS IN
BATTLE. It stands for THE BRINGING OF GOD’S PRESENCE
AND POWER IN WARFARE. The Lord is described as the Word of
God emblematically riding on a white horse; it is the image of aggressive
action, of a prosperous conquest over all His foes. It means victory!
On the negative side, whenever the word horse is used in
relationship with fleshly humanity it signifies human strength. Isaiah
31:1-3 informs us, “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and
stay on horses and trust in chariots (that is, human strength and human
ability), because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very
strong…they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the
Lord!.” Again, “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their
horses are fleshly (strength), and not spirit.” “For thus saith the Lord
God, the Holy One of Israel; in returning and rest shall ye be saved; in
quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses (human strength) and
confound the riders on the horses (those who trust in human ability)”
(Hag. 2:22; Zech. 10:5).
On the positive side, whenever the word horse is used with
righteousness, or divinity, or the Lord, or things heavenly, it means
heavenly, divine, or spiritual strength. In Habakkuh 3:14-15 the prophet,
reminiscing about Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, extols the triumph of
Yahweh, exclaiming, “You pierced with his own arrows the head of the
enemy’s hordes…You have trodden the sea (masses of humanity,
warriors) with Your horses, beside the heap of great and surging
waters.” The meaning is clear — You have trodden the sea IN YOUR
DIVINE STRENGTH! Egypt had abundance of horses, swift and
strong, but God had horses out of the spirit world! Not literal horses, of
course; they represented the STRENGTH AND MIGHT OF GOD IN
BATTLE! They signify the almighty POWER OF THE SPIRIT in all
His manifestations. With what simple words does the Holy Spirit teach
us that the strength of the Spirit always exceeds and excels over the
strength of the flesh! Thus, horses are symbols given to us that denote
the nature and work of the anointing that rests upon the sons of God.
Horses are figures of overcoming, invincible strength and power,
signifying that wherever these horses go, WHATEVER IS IN THEIR
WAY IS OVERCOME BY THEM! That is the power of God in
spiritual warfare!
I do not wonder sometimes that those who only read my writing
think that I am a hard and vindictive man, especially as I warn men of
the error and abominable apostasy of the nominal church systems. But if
you only knew, I am one of the most peaceable and gentle men in the
world. I am a very quiet man (except in the pulpit), and believe that I am
merciful and compassionate toward every sinner. I have only been a
fighter because I have had to fight. Was Jesus Christ not a great fighter?
Is He not a great fighter still? And is He not the Prince of Peace?
Sometimes the greatest fighters win the greatest peace! Is Christ not
God’s Lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah? And is He not the Lamb of
God? God’s Lion is a Lamb! God’s Lamb is a Lion! I call God to
witness and you to witness that when I have been called upon to fight —
for whom have I fought? I fought for God. I fought for Truth. I fought
for Reality. I fought against the false shepherds who were taking away
the key of knowledge, who entered not into the kingdom themselves, and
them that were entering in they hindered. I fought them who withstood
the right ways of the Lord, deceiving the people and holding them in
bondage to slavish forms of empty religion and superstitious conceptions
of God.
Stephen fought the devils in the Jewish system to their very faces
although he knew he would die for it. He saw his Master in the heavens.
Do you see your Master in the heavens? Do you see that the only
Reality is that which emanates from the Christ-Spirit? Do you know
Him within, in the depths of your being? Do you hear His voice? Have
you proven His power within yourself? Do you know what He wants
you to do? He wants you to follow in His steps, to become His
salvation unto the ends of the earth! He wants you to be a warrior, to
learn the powers of spiritual warfare; He wants you to grasp hold of
Life, to experience it fully within yourself, and then go forth to deliver
His creation from sin, sorrow, death, and hell and the demonic power
which curses this world. The peace of God means war with sin and
death! War with the carnal mind! War with the insipid platitudes of
religion! War with fear, unbelief, selfishness, rebellion, pride, lust,
ignorance, bigotry, and deceptions of every kind! War with sickness,
disease, sorrow, pain, and death! He that is a friend of evil is the enemy
of God. This is the kind of peace Jesus left. He made warriors of men.
They went forth to fight the world and the devil, in Greece and Rome,
with thirty thousand gods. They marched up the acropolis; they marched
upon the Parthenon; they marched up the steps of Caesar’s palace; they
threw down the altars of the boni dei; they threw down the altars of
Venus; they destroyed the altars of Jove; they demolished the altars of
Mercury and Zeus and Diana and a thousand more. They overthrew
them without arrows or swords or guns or bombs; riding the white horse
of God’s righteousness and strength they smashed them by the Spirit’s
power, with the sword of Truth they trampled upon them; they
triumphed and brought in a new dimension of the kingdom of God!
Oh, that is such a sublime verse where Jesus said, “ALL
AUTHORITY is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore
and teach all nations…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of
the age” (Mat. 28:18-19). Do you see that? There is a tremendous
power in that “Therefore,” I am with you. I will back you. Every angel
in the heavens if needful will come forth and surround you. Fight!
What does it matter, the puny governments and armies and courts of
THIS WORLD? All authority is given to the Christ of God, and we are
the members of God’s Christ! That is the great and eternal truth the
Holy Spirit would burn indelibly into your mind and heart and will this
day. God is calling you, apprehending you, teaching you, training you to
ride with Christ the Warrior out of the heavens of God’s Spirit! Oh, yes!
The hosts of God will troop over all the skies, ten thousand times ten
thousand millions, if need be. Embrace TRUTH! Speak TRUTH! Live
TRUTH! “I command…Go ye therefore, you poor fishermen, and tax-gatherers and discredited rabbis, go, I am with you!” If only we realized
what power there is behind us!
God is raising up a sonship company of warriors that will go for
the devil’s fortresses, to batter him, shatter him, and break up his
kingdom. God is even now preparing an army of overcoming ones,
transformed in the spirit of their mind, triumphing within themselves
over sin, error, limitation, and death, who shall go forth in the power of
the Spirit to pull down the strongholds of creed and ritual and religious
foolishness and ignorance and set the captives free; who will beat down
the prison-houses of mis-conceptions, mis-information, mis-understanding, and of sin and death, and let the prisoners go free! Satan
is not a God like unto the Lord my God. He does not interfere with
God’s purposes nor frustrate God’s plans. ALL AUTHORIITY is given
to the Christ of God — in heaven and in earth! How much authority is
“ALL” authority? Oh, how men patronize and glorify the devil by
attributing to him at least some of that “ALL” authority! Those who fear
the devil, struggle with the devil, warn men about the devil’s power are
devil worshippers. They give reverence and homage before the altar of
his supposed power! They thus deny that ALL AUTHORITY is now
given to God’s Christ! ALL of it! ALL of it in the heavens! ALL of it
in the earth! And in that authority He is with us always, even unto the
end of the age! Is He not with us today in His authority and power!
That is what He is teaching every son, and demanding we experience
and prove the truth of it within ourselves in every situation of our lives,
as we train in His army to judge and make war and smite the nations
with the sword of our mouth and rule them with a rod of iron!
I shall fight that battle against the lies of religion and for the
supremacy of the Christ while there is a drop of blood in my body. I
shall claim that every foot of this earth and every man upon this earth
and under the earth belongs to Christ, for He made the earth and He
made every man for His pleasure — to rejoice in! He tasted death for
every man, and therefore, every foot of the earth, and every man on the
earth and under the earth belongs to Christ my Lord. They are His by
right of creation and they are His by right of redemption. No devil
anywhere has any claim on even one of them, and no devil anywhere can
gainsay that fact. I claim for my God this great and eternal kingdom!
The church has forgotten that Christ came to establish a kingdom and
that it must break in pieces and consume (take into itself) every other
kingdom including the devil’s kingdom. The church has forgotten that
God has given His Christ the keys of death and hell; and with the veil of
tradition and carnal-minded reasoning over their darkened minds they
are unable to comprehend even the simplest of truths — that the Saviour
of men will never use those keys to lock men up in either sin or death or
hell, but He will use them to lead all men out of the prison-house!
Aren’t you glad!
The gospel which Christ preached was the gospel of the kingdom
of God. The hope and aim of all His work was the establishment of the
kingdom of God in the earth and in all realms everywhere. When the
end of His great work is come, He shall deliver up the kingdom of God,
even the Father, and in it will be everything God created, for God will be
ALL-IN-ALL! We who preach this gospel of the all-inclusive and all-victorious redemption of Christ preach not a gospel of limited
atonement, nor of a partially victorious kingdom, nor of a Christ who
was a failure — dying for men He was unable to save, nor of an almost
all-powerful devil who wins the battle for souls and possesses the souls
of untold billions throughout an endless eternity. Oh, no! Such a
doctrine would be blasphemy! We preach the gospel of the kingdom of
God, of the supremacy and omnipotence of Christ its King, and of the
triumph of that kingdom in all the earth and unto the unbounded
heavens. We command every man upon this God’s earth, and under the
earth, and in heaven and hell and throughout the universe wherever they
may be, to bow the knee and glorify God by calling Jesus Lord and
serving and obeying Him with a willing heart, as it is written: “That at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, TO THE GLORY OF GOD
THE FATHER” (Phil. 2:10-11). God shall grant it. If it takes ages upon
ages, God shall grant it!
We must have it! We shall fight it out to the end, and we will win.
The omnipotent Christ within us shall win. Sin shall be abolished.
Disease, pain, sorrow, death, and hell shall pass away. This victory must
be fully accomplished in the firstfruits of His redemption first. The Day
is at hand. Then, O Christ, and then alone, wilt Thou see the travail of
Thy soul, and be satisfied. Then, O Christ, and then alone, can we be
satisfied; when the last rebel has bowed at Thy feet, and the last
blasphemer has confessed Thy lovely name, and there is no more fight;
for there is no more devil anywhere. Hallelujah! God shall reign
forever, the reality of creation! It is a living hope; this hope, that at last,
every poor sinner will have heard the glad sound, and that at last every
proud spirit in earth and heaven and hell will humbly bow before the
Christ, and will own His sway, and there shall be harmony and peace
and unity and unbounded joy and rejoicing everywhere, for God shall be
ALL-IN-ALL! That is my hope.
The spirit of might ((Isa. 11:2) that rests upon the Rider on the
white horse, and which shall rest upon all of God’s sons who ride with
Him, is not the same kind of might known by the people of this world; it
is not the might of force, of marching armies, of clanging swords, of
tanks and guns and bursting bombs, for these exist only in the realm of
carnal might. The might of God and of God’s Christ is spiritual might!
If our eyes have been opened by the Spirit of God we will see that the
nature of all our work in the army of the Lord is spiritual! The power of
the kingdom is spiritual power, its citizens are a spiritual people, its
ministry is a spiritual ministry, its authority is spiritual authority, its
conquests are spiritual conquests, its dominion is spiritual dominion, its
laws are spiritual laws, it weapons are spiritual weapons, its priesthood is
a spiritual priesthood, its sovereignty is spiritual sovereignty. If you
understand the truths I have just written, you understand things that have
been hidden from the eyes of nearly all the religionists of the whole
world! Many of the Lord’s precious people are no further advanced in
their understanding than were the fleshly-minded Jews of Jesus’ day
who looked for the Messiah to come and deliver them from Rome — as
if being free from Rome would make them free from their real enemies
— carnality, selfhood, sin, and death! The work of the kingdom is the
work of rescuing men out of the power of darkness and the bondage of
the flesh and the carnal mind that they may be gained for God. It is the
work of imparting unto men the very life, mind, nature, and spirit of the
Lord that men may be gained even more and more by God until He truly
becomes ALL-IN-ALL. Thus shall the whole creation be delivered from
the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God!
The cry of the hour is that we become that for which we have been
apprehended. We are giving notice to heaven and earth that this is not
just another teaching or beautiful revelation given to thrill our hearts, but
this message is given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as a witness to
God’s elect that we are a “chosen generation,” a “royal priesthood,”
“kings to reign,” and we are also called to form the “army of the Lord”
in the earth. We are not just passing through this world, but are sent by
God at a specific time, at the very hour of the very day of the very month
of the very year of the very century when the army of God is destined to
arise in the earth to fight the final battles for the possession of our
inheritance in the kingdom of God! We shall bring to this world the
unveiled glory of the Son, in an open display of a manifestation in the
sons of God. For this we cry, that we would be the forthshinning of the
Son, His express image, the demonstration and power of His sonship
glory and dominion, upon which the nations will gaze, upon which all
the philosophies and religions of the world will stare in astonishment,
and be confounded, and be changed by the glory of His countenance.
Oh, yes, the army of the Lord shall “shine forth as the morning, fair as
the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners!”
By this army shall creation be set free from the prison of corruption,
to see a new heaven and a new earth, to see sin and unrighteousness
banished from the hearts of men, to see death destroyed from off God’s
creation, to see the end of all sickness, sorrow, and pain, to see safety,
peace, and happiness come to every man, woman, and child, to see
(New) Jerusalem established as a praise in all the earth, to see kings
reigning gloriously from mount Zion, to see every man and every nation
walking in the Light of the City of God. If you don’t believe or don’t
understand this testimony, then just consider — following this great
battle in chapter nineteen of the Revelation — read the next and final
three chapters of the book and see if the very conditions I have just
described are not precisely what you see! Taken in context and sequence
it cannot be denied that the glory of the Lord filling the earth as the
waters cover the sea, with righteousness abounding everywhere, is the
blessed and glorious result of the conquests of THE ARMY OF THE
LORD! Oh, the wonder of it!
Praise God for the exalted road that leads to Zion, no ravenous
beast shall tread the path that the vultures eye hath not seen. These are
glorious days indeed for the army of God, a great people, there has not
even been the like thereof unto the years of many generations. We have
for many years been struggling in God’s great “boot camp” training for
this spiritual warfare, but there is now a mighty stirring in the spirit as
the army of the Lord musters for battle. Truly the white horse has been
galloping triumphantly through our land, conquering every enemy
within, and announcing to us that He reigns in a voice of thunder from
His throne on high. May He reign and speak through us even as He
reigns and speaks within us in the great Day of the Lord! The weapon of
Him who rides through our land is the bow of His word sending Truth
into our minds and hearts; the weapon of the army of God, however, is
the sword of the Spirit, the sharp two-edged sword of the Living Word
of God — a sword to smite the nations, not with the carnal force of
merciless slaughter, but with the life-changing properties of TRUTH
AND LIFE. The battle fought by the Christ of God is a spiritual warfare,
combat between light and darkness, between spirit and flesh, between
truth and error, between righteousness and evil, between life and death,
between the customs and ways of this world and the principles of the
kingdom of God. Ride on, O Horseman! Ride on, O Horsemen!
In the midst of all the confusion and darkness of this hour the Spirit
of God is calling out a people for His name. He is training them in the
school of obedience and refining them in the furnace of affliction. He is
stripping them of self-interest, draining them of self-will, plucking from
their hearts all the deceptive ways of Babylon, causing them to abhor the
vain efforts of the flesh. These are putting on the whole armor of God,
these are dwelling in heavenly places, seated with Christ; these are the
armies from heaven that follow the Word of God into battle. To
understand what I say you will have to come out of all former tradition.
Many think of the “armies from heaven” as being those saints who have
passed on to the other side of the veil, who are then joined with those
sons on earth, the armies from both sides fighting as one. The truth is,
however, that there is no mention of “armies which were on earth,” —
all those who ride with Jesus constitute “the armies which were in
heaven.” It is not that these are dead saints returning, but all who make
up this company, be they alive in the flesh or on the other side in the
spirit, all are out of those “heavenly places in Christ Jesus” where we are
seated with Him! It is not a matter of being dead or alive, it is a matter
of finding our life, our position, our very reality in the exalted sphere of
HIS LIFE! From within, out of the innermost being, is arising a strong
and mighty Word, the absolute truth about God and all things, beyond
the superstitions, myths, folklore, fairy tales, and traditions of religion,
and by which every adversary shall be silenced. “He cast out the spirits
WITH HIS WORD” (Mat. 8:16). God’s Christ shall ultimately cast out
all the spirits that plague and dominate the whole world of mankind! He
shall do it this time just as He did when He was here in the flesh — He
shall cast out all the spirits WITH HIS WORD! That’s what this
“battle” is all about! This sin-weary world shall yet be governed by a
glorious company of sons of God, every one in the image of Christ,
every one a brother of Jesus Christ, every one infused with His life and
invested with His authority, every one a son given “power to tread on
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy!” The
whole earth, as Eden was, shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory
of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. The mouth of the Lord hath
spoken it!
Although God “so loved the world,” still there is a special sense in
which Christ “loved us” and gave Himself for us — those He is making
kings and priests unto God, that we might reign over the earth. “Unto
Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and
hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father” (Rev. 1:5-6).
The book of Revelation is written to kings and priests! “And they sung a
new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the
seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy
blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast
made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the
earth” (Rev. 5:9-10).
Some time ago, in Bill and Elaine Cook’s paper, Monty Williamson
shared the following beautiful testimony which speaks so powerfully of
Christ’s love for His called and separated elect. “A while ago I had an
experience with the Lord Jesus Christ that I would like to share. As I
was waiting on the Lord in prayer, I was part of a scene that I will try to
describe. I was with the Lord’s army traveling across the sky, headed for
earth. We were all riding on beautiful white horses flying towards the
Lord’s enemies to do battle. As I took in the scene, I realized I was in
the front line of the Lord’s army. I took in the view and felt honored that
I was allowed to be at the front where I could see the vistas of the earth
beneath and know that I would be one of the first to join in this great
battle.
“As my eyes moved to the left, I realized that I was riding beside
Jesus. He smiled at me and I felt so loved and understood. I was
overwhelmed that I was at His right hand as He rode into battle. I felt so
loved and honored! I was shocked that I was beside Him, and
questioned in my mind why I was allowed to ride there. In return, He
just loved me and let me know that it was right that I was beside Him. I
felt humbled and greatly loved. I savored the moment and it was one of
the greatest feelings I have ever had — to be riding on a white horse with
Jesus heading into battle! After a bit I began to wonder about the others
who were riding with us and I felt a little sad that I was at the front with
Jesus and that others were not. I was thinking that maybe I should rotate
my place with others so that my brothers and sisters could share the joy
of riding beside Jesus. I felt Him whisper that it was “Okay” and that I
should look around.
“As I looked back, I saw the most incredible picture. I saw the rest
of the army — as I looked at each one, I noted that they were all looking
to the person on their left. On their left was Jesus riding beside them!
As I looked closer, I realized that from each person’s perspective, each
one was riding beside Jesus and saw themselves at the front of the army,
riding on His right side. The same picture that I had at the first, where I
saw myself at the front of the army and at His right hand, was the same
vision that everyone else had. We all thought that we were riding at the
front of the army beside Jesus! For everyone, Jesus was beside them
having intimate fellowship with each one at the same time. My love and
awe for Jesus soared! It is just like Him to be able to make each one of
us feel the most loved at the same time. He is the Head and we are the
body. Does any part of the body feel neglected by the head? It is the
same with Jesus, our Head. He is able to make each of us feel intimately
loved all at the same time. It is something very hard for the finite mind
to wrap around, but it is possible with God. His love for us knows no
bounds!” — end quote.
The army of the Lord is at this very moment in careful preparation.
The mountains are full of horses and chariots of fire, which the King
mustereth for the battle. His great command is, “FOLLOW ME!” He
rides the white horse of universal conquest. He goes on from conquering
to conquer. Follow the King from victory to victory, from triumph to
triumph in your own life; then you, who constitute the King’s hosts, will
move forward to press the same victory everywhere. During World War
II, due to the urgency of the times, officers were trained in a ninety-day
course. These were called “ninety-day wonders” by the enlisted men,
who resented them because they were ruling, but had never been ruled
over. There will be no “ninety-day” wonders in the army of the Lord!
He is presently preparing “officers” to participate with Him in the
closing out of the church age and the establishment of the new age of the
kingdom of God. There are no short cuts — God will deal and deal with
each member of His army until each stands tall and strong and swift in
the wisdom and might of Jesus Christ!
You who have not yet surrendered all to Him as King of kings, you
who know Him as Saviour but have not crowned Him Lord of all within,
don’t you hear His trumpet pealing in your ears, sounding down through
all the chambers of your soul’s castle? You who have tried to be a good
Christian, involved in the religious activities of the man-made church
systems, but have not hitherto heard the call to “come out of her” and
come up higher into the high calling of God in Christ Jesus — why do
you stand out longer? Why not draw in your colors this day, and invite
HIM to the supreme place in your heart and life, and enroll yourself
among His followers from henceforth, to follow Him to the heights of
mount Zion; and then, when He celebrates His last victory, be among
those who come with songs and everlasting joy to share the fruits of His
victory and chant His praises forevermore. Amen!
