He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches. This word was repeated many times by Jesus during His ministry before and after His resurrection. He wants to draw our attention to the Holy Spirit who always seems to be saying something to the people of God so that they might know and understand what is happening in the courts of heaven. Psalms 25:14 says; Friendship with the LORD is reserved for those who fear him. With them he shares the secrets of his covenant. NLT.
If we say we are experiencing intimacy with God, the Lord would be pleased to share the things of His heart with us for the glory of His name so we might live holy lives and be the witness He wants on the earth. True, authentic Holy Spirit led ministry will always be bringing the word of the Lord for the hour in which we live. Prophetic timeliness is everything.
This has always been true but never more important than for the generation of believers who are alive on the earth during the last days. A pilot may know how to operate the controls of an airliner but great skill is required when bringing in a bird like that at night, in stormy and foggy weather. He needs up to date information such as altitude, speed, weather on the ground and air traffic command to bring him safely home. In a spiritual sense, information like this can only come from the Holy Spirit. General Bible information is good and necessary but if it isn’t timely, it will never meet the need of the hour.
I am sorry to say that there are millions of Christians today who are flying blind and are out of touch with Air Traffic Control, i.e. the Holy Spirit. This could not come at a worse time. Jesus warned that there would be deceivers, false shepherds and prophets and a general lukewarm spiritual climate prior to His coming. The church is largely living under the spell of this evil world system. The church has failed to make authentic disciples who will be able to endure the pressures of the end times because they were told that they would automatically escape the trouble because they “accepted Jesus into their hearts,” something that is never mentioned in Scripture. Every prophetic book in the Bible including Jesus’ teachings foretell of widespread persecution and martyrdom before the Lord returns.
At the time of this writing, those of us living in America are beginning to feel the pressure of a greater intrusion of government into our lives. We have already been experiencing the demonic pressures of political correctness that is redefining the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ into something He will reject. I have been saying recently that in the Age to Come, it will be said that the church of our generation will be remembered as notably apostate. The great falling away has already begun. But you say; “Mark, look how many attend church today?” Yes. And I say there is no safety in numbers. Jesus said; “wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:14).
The Gospel is not a Religious Issue- It is a Kingdom/Dominion Issue.
If we were to see the Gospel through the lenses in which Daniel saw it, we would never call Christianity a religion. The context in which Daniel received dreams, and the dream interpretations of the kings, was mostly related to world empire government, not religion. If Daniel could return from the afterlife, he would be appalled by what has happened to our message. The same could be said of John the Baptist, Jesus and the apostles. They saw the Gospel through the eyes of world dominion and kingdom, not just the creation of another religion. We do violence to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by allowing it o be considered in the category of world religion.
When Jesus asked His disciples; Who do the people say that I am? They responded that the people thought He was one of the prophets back from the dead. He asked them; Who do you say that I am? Peter said; You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. To the Jewish mind of that time, that statement held infinite and transcendent meaning. Peter was saying that Jesus was the King of the Kingdom that would end all kingdoms and empires.
Daniel saw this in the vision in Daniel 7:13. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.
The Kingdom of God is a literal kingdom, not a metaphor for a religious belief system. It is as literal and real as any other government past, present and future. But the Kingdom of God transcends all other kingdoms and governments and all are accountable to the Lord as the kings in Daniel’s day learned. King Nebuchadnezzar said; At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (Daniel 4:34-37).
The Book of Daniel seems to focus primarily on the theme of the four major world empires and the final empire of all, the Kingdom of God. It also warns God’s people that times will be difficult and that the antichrist will severely test them. However, we must persevere and remain faithful for the King of Heaven will certainly come and usher in the eternal Kingdom.
Most people today fail to grasp the importance of this divine information. Modern man is so focused on the moment due to the belief that what happens to him today is all that counts. But for a man who thinks eternally as we should, life in this age is temporal and fleeting compared to the ages to come. Daniel was such a man. Those of us who are in Christ should most definitely think this way especially since we have the luxury of the complete text of the Holy Scriptures for our learning and edification.
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