THE ARMY OF INVADERS
THE BEGINNING OF CONFLICT
There has always been spiritual conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness which is ruled by the adversary of God, Satan.
The conflict began before the world began when Satan who was then a high official in the realm of Yahweh God's domain became lifted up in pride and presumed to be like the Most High God.
The Bible tells us, "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of splendor;" (Ezekiel 28:17a) "For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest side of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most high" (Isaiah 14:13-14)
We are given to understand that in his rebellion, he drew away one third of the angelic hosts under his leadership in accusations he made against the justice and wisdom of Almighty God. The question of the worthiness of Yahweh God to require complete submission and obedience had to be addressed and so the plan of redemption was formed in the mind of God to address the issues Satan raised.
It was not long after the creation of Adam that Satan entered the scene, to usurp the authority and dominion which Adam as head of the human race, had been given over the earth. In the Garden, he proposed the same type of question regarding the credibility of Yahweh God, as he had done before the throne of God. Through the deception of the woman who enticed her husband Adam, he gained dominion over the human race and thereby over the whole earth. Now, it was not only the angelic hosts who had come into subjection to him, but he had also gained an earthly kingdom over which to rule. Genesis 1:26-3:24 And so, began the enactment of the plan of salvation which was formulated before the foundation of the world.
THE KINGDOM OF SATAN
The first era of man's existence upon earth was so filled with violence and corruption by Satan's infiltration of the human race, that it had to be destroyed (Genesis 6:1-8). After the flood, men again rebelled under the leadership of Nimrod who became a "mighty one on the earth" (Genesis 10:8). He established a kingdom with the cities of Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh in the land of Shinar. It is said that he was a mighty hunter of men's souls in opposition to Yahweh God (Genesis 10:9-14).
The rebellion began in earnest at Babel against submission to Yahweh God by the substitution of the true worship with a subtle counterfeit of man's government. Man in control of his own destiny under the leadership of Nimrod strengthened himself in his independence with a false messiah-image which was portrayed in Nimrod after he was killed.
His wife continued the image which he had adopted of being King of the earth's inhabitants, and claimed that from his 'heavenly' state, he had impregnated her with divine seed of the promised 'messiah' which would save mankind. And so , mankind in his fallen, rebellious state was provided with a messiah/saviour image through "immaculate" conception which was a complete counterfeit of the true promised Messiah that was promised to Eve, in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15).
Satan presented mankind with a substitute religious system which was like the "Most High", pre-empting the virgin birth of the Son of God through his own intermediatory agent. By this means, Satan deceived mankind into worshiping him through a counterfeit image. When the peoples had their languages confused and were dispersed throughout the earth after the fall of the tower of Babel, this form of religion was taken with them and its end result is in the many different religions we have in the world today. The same Madonna and child images are portrayed in every religion under different names in the different languages.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
When the true Messiah, the Son of God, came as promised through a virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), He established the kingdom of God first in the hearts of men (Luke 17:21) who would become citizens of His kingdom before going away to receive the kingdom from the hands of its present owner (Satan) and to return at a later time with His faithful servants to establish the kingdom on earth (Luke 19:11-12,15; Rev 11:15).
He commissioned His apostles and disciples to go through all the earth and make disciples of all the nations as ambassadors for Him during His absence (Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:20). But with the passing of the original apostles, the truth was subverted was within and it was not long before the true faith was also perverted through the infiltration of these counterfeit religions.
With the advent of Constantine, Christianity became the state "religion" by enmeshing together pagan practices with Christian ordinances. Eventually, the Roman Catholic Church became the embodiment of this false system of religious worship that counterfeited the true knowledge of God as given by revelation through Moses and renewed to the people of God through the advent of Yeshua the Messiah.
However, Yahweh God raised up a standard and a restoration began with Martin Luther who headed a reformation against the Roman Catholic Church that eventually led to the Bible being placed in the hands of the common people, so that all could read the scriptures for themselves. The light which began to be shed on the Word of God has continued to this day, with various groups breaking away from the established churches, as they saw truths in the Bible which had been forgotten, or lost to their knowledge.
With each truth re-discovered, which was usually only received by a remnant each time, the main body of people who had come into this further measure of truth have had to leave the mainstream church of their time, to give expression to their new-found illumination, and each move of God has ended up becoming a denomination which then resisted the next measure of truth that was revealed. And so, the process has gone on to our present day, with each group persecuting the next group who comes into more revelation. "The path of the just is like the shining light, that shines even brighter unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18)
And so, in each generation, in each church, God has had a people who are prepared, whatever the cost, to forsake all and follow Him - to leave father, mother, sister, brother. friends and loved ones for the love above all others. He who died to give His life for us, that we might become the sons of God. That we might know what it is to be adopted into the family of God - sons of the Most High God - to inherit all of our heavenly Father's estate and be transformed into His image.
Even so, in this day, out of this last day "church", He is calling forth a people who are willing to lay down all to follow Him, who are prepared to pay the price of discipleship, who are prepared to be all that He has called them to be, to lay down their own self-life for His sake and forsaking all, to follow where He leads in the passion of their love for Him - to count it but "dung" that they might be counted worthy of the prize of His high calling in Yeshua the Messiah, to be His firstfruits that come forth from the earth into His glory.
"If Jesus Christ be God, and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him" (motto of C. T. Studd missionary to India and South Africa who did leave all to follow the divine call and gave his life on the mission field and formed the missionary organisation, Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade)
No sacrifice is too great in the light of what He did for us!
THE OVERCOMERS
THE CALL TO THE KINGDOM
- Responding to the Call
- The Process of Testing
- Entering the Kingdom
- Requirements of the Kingdom
- Entering into the Kingdom
DISCIPLESHIP TO THE MASTER