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 the 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 in (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” , “to the Jew first” 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 here in the USA 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 very 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 [1920-1930]. 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 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 Mobile 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 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. Producing saints from the womb forward can only be done by a loving Mother, brethren. Now this is not rocket science as they say, we do not even need a casual observer for this one, right?
And 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 cannot be described as ‘Sweet’ no matter how you shake them out!
The title once again is “The Ultimate Usurper vs. The Ultimate Ascenders”. 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 his 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) “Priesthood of the Apocalypse” and holy nation during His time of global 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 go it shall lead thee, when thou sleep it shall keep thee, and when thou awake 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 in reality is The Living Lord Jesus Christ Himself! Yes, John 15:7 gives the formula for abiding in the Lord Jesus Christ!
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) the precious Word of God!.
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 information necessary to put our offensive efforts at the right place moment by moment as He receives the instruction from our Father, the Mighty General in charge, who provides moment by moment pin-point strikes from His Throne 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) Timing, His timing is of the essence, for He has already laid out the battle-plan for each of us. Yes, from eternity past He put together exactly what we need to get the victory...every single time!!
This is why we need a clear understanding of God’s plan for getting under and staying under His authority by utilizing 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, do we become a living extension of His great love for souls as we abide in Him and listen to His Voice through His Word 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. It is all black and white. You are either under or your are not, it is that simple! The following outline provides specific instruction for staying under God’s ordained authority:
Secondly, it is important to memorize the address so that the Lord can key your mind onto the Scripture He wants to communicate “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 meditating and listening to His voice. Then, the Scriptures you have memorized along with the address/reference is available for Him to key upon and speak to you through His Word. Sounds simple, and it is, but, IT DEFINITELY 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. Remember, there are three voices vying for your attention: The voice of the flesh, the voice of the devil, and the Voice of God! Try the spirits and see if it is the LORD!! If the Word is actively working in your mind, you can count on it, you will hear the Voice of God by His Holy Spirit! If not, it is anybody’s guess who is speaking to you attempting to get you to go their way!
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 can be as pure as the wind driven snow, untouchable, when in the Hand of God! (Revelation 12:10, 11)