SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation
Give To SermonIndex
Discussion Forum : Scriptures and Doctrine : The storm is coming. Pray for a spirit of Martyrdom!

Print Thread (PDF)

PosterThread









 The storm is coming. Pray for a spirit of Martyrdom!

Even as you read this, there is a gathering storm. The time is short and a great darkness is approaching. A darkness such has never been seen before. A great flood of evil approaches the gates of Zion, its thunderous noise not only shaking the city but shaking the whole world.

Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water like a flood after the woman, so that he might cause her to be carried away by the river.

The remnant Church will soon face such a flood of evil as has never been seen before. It is time to prepare. We must gird up our hearts and our spirits in such a way as to be completely dependent upon the Lord. Indeed, that is why the Lord is conveying His people into the valley of Acacias, into the desert place, into that final place of gathering before the great and notable day of the Lord. Once before, the Lord carried His people on Eagles wings.

Exo 19:4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself.

The tenderness and beauty of the Lord can be seen in this Scripture. He delivered His people from bondage out of Egypt. Now, Egypt is synonymous with the world. The Lord has begun to convey His people on eagles wings from the world, from the established church, into the desert where they will be prepared for the final battle. His people are being prepared for Martyrdom. They are being isolated so that He alone will be their sustenance. Jesus Himself was also taken into the desert as a place of testing and preparation.Mar 1:12 And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. Notice the word "drove." Interesting ,is it not, that the Spirit "drove," Jesus into the wilderness. The Greek word for drove and its meaning is .......

ekballō
ek-bal'-lo
From G1537 and G906; to eject (literally or figuratively): - bring forth, cast (forth, out), drive (out), expel, leave, pluck (pull, take, thrust) out, put forth (out), send away (forth, out).

Interestingly enough, this is the same word used to describe how Adam and Eve were "driven,' out of the Garden. You see, no one wants to enter the wilderness. One has to be driven into the wilderness . And what does that word wilderness mean? erēmos
er'-ay-mos
Of uncertain affinity; lonesome, that is, (by implication) waste (usually as a noun, G5561 being implied): - desert, desolate, solitary, wilderness.

You see, the wilderness is a desert place. It is a valley, its a place of isolation, a solitary lonesome place, a place of "uncertain affinity." Perhaps you may find yourself in that place today. It is as necessary to you as it was to Jesus. This was a place that Jesus proved that He was fully dependant upon God the Father. He would not turn rocks into bread, even although He had the power to. He would rely upon what He knew about His Father. We too must rely upon what we know about our Father. We must surrender to this place of testing, this loneliness, this isolation that brings us to a place of utter dependence upon God.

Rev 12:14 And two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, so that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the serpent's face.

You see brothers and sister, once again God's people carried on the wings of an eagle and being "brought to myself." God is drawing His people close to Him in order to prepare them. What was the Lord being prepared for when He was driven into the wilderness? He was being prepared for humiliation, rejection, false accusation, imprisonment, torture and ultimately death on the cross. We too brothers and sister, we too. I visited Washington DC a few weeks ago. One of the museums that I visited was the Holocaust mu seam. A very sobering place indeed. This perhaps, better than any other historical even, brings into sharp focus the culmination of man's inhumanity to man. And yet, according to Scriptures, this is not the culmination, there is a time coming such as has not been seen before. Mat 24:22 And unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened.

One of the problems with thinking about what happened to the Jewish people in the WW 11 is that the reality is so horrendous, that we can barely even consider it. It staggers the mind. The enormity of it, the total lack of empathy, even for children, this spewing out of evil upon the land is almost quite literally beyond what our minds can process. For we know, that this did not happen amongst what we in the West would call "savages." This happened in Western Europe. A cultured educated people. A people with a Christian heritage. A people schooled in the Arts. And lets not make the mistake of thinking then that the Germans must be a peculiarly evil or wicked people for this to arise in their midst. They were not. They were not that different from the British. We want to explain it away but we cannot explain evil. And right here I think is where one of the major problems lie for God's remnant people who know that persecution is coming. The reality of the impending evil, this "great flood,' that is about to be spewed out at us, is so beyond what our human minds can process that it is hard for the "watchmen on the wall,' to adequately convey and keep in the front of the minds of the hearers, just what is coming. In fact, only a supernatural element will do. Only God's Holy Spirit can rightly convey to the spirit what is coming to pass and even that will be in measure.

Having said all of that, the reason or this post is to bless God's remnant people. To encourage them not to turn away from the reality of what is coming. Not to be fooled by the fact that the world seems to be turning just as it always has. Not to be lulled into thinking that tomorrow will be the same as today because today is the same as yesterday. Yet, despite all that is coming our way, the Lord rises up in the hearts of His people.

Isa 59:19 So they shall fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of Jehovah shall raise up a standard against him."

Isa 51:3 For Jehovah shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah. Joy and gladness shall be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

sa 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall become old like a garment; and its inhabitants shall die in the same way. But My salvation shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not be broken.
Isa 51:7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My Law; do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their revilings.

Who is it that "knows righteousness?" Who is it that has the Lord's commandments written upon his heart? It is the true seed, the remnant people, God's people. He will comfort His people in the "waste places." Even in the wilderness, this shall be like "Eden." You see in the beginning God drove His children out of Eden into the wilderness. Now, at the end of times He will make that very wilderness like Eden. For we know that it is God's presence that creates the "garden of Jehovah,' even although it is in the desert. Heaven is where the Lord is and joy and gladness shall be found in the desert by His people. This spirit of Martyrdom, this Spirit of Rev 12 where they "overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their soul until death," can be found down through the ages. Listen to what a saint wrote from the dungeon back in 1557, a young Christian, a novice who had spent three years in a dungeon and was shortly to be burned at the stake.

"In a dark hole I have found pleasure; in a place of bitterness and death, rest and hope of salvation; in the abyss or depths of hell, joy; where others weep, I have laughed; where others fear, I have found strength; who will believe this? In a state of misery I have had very great delight; in a lonely corner I have had most glorious company, and in the severest bond, great rest. All these things, my fellow brethren in Jesus Christ, the gracious hand of God has given me. Behold, He that at first was far from me, is now with me, and Him whom I knew but a little, I now see clearly; to whom I once looked from afar, Him I now behold as present; He for whom I longed, now offers me His hand; He comforts me; He fills me with joy; He drives from me bitterness, and renews within me strength and sweetness; He makes me well; He sustains me; He helps me up; He strengthens me. Oh, how good is the Lord, who does not suffer His servants to be tempted above that they are able I Oh, how easy, pleasant and sweet is His yoke I Is there any like God the Most High, who sustains and refreshes those that are tempted? He heals them that are bruised and wounded, and restores them altogether. Isa. 41; 43:20. None is like Him. Learn, most beloved brethren, how sweet the Lord is, how faithful and merciful; who visits His servants in trial (Isa. 43:2); who humbles Himself and condescends to be with us in our huts and humble abodes. He gives us a cheerful mind and peaceful ul heart."

This same Spirit will carry us through the tribulation and to whatever faces us. Rejoice and be glad brothers and sister for the promise of God is true "He will never leave us nor forsake us."




 2009/8/18 15:08
dab
Member



Joined: 2008/8/8
Posts: 50
Kentucky

 Re: The storm is coming. Pray for a spirit of Martyrdom!

Thank you, Appolus. I pray that the agreement in me is borne of the Spirit of God. Could you identify the martyr from the 1500s?

David


_________________
David

 2009/8/18 15:57Profile









 Re:

I pray that too brother. The name of this Martyr was Algerius. You can find the whole story here.... http://scottishwarriors.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/an-unsung-hero-of-the-faith/

Frank

 2009/8/18 16:03
Legacy1
Member



Joined: 2009/7/7
Posts: 1


 Re: The storm is coming. Pray for a spirit of Martyrdom!

Love this post. I especially like the last bit about the grace the martyr found in the ordeal. This reminds me of Stephen and the grace he was experiencing at the end of his life. I have often thought that the martyr may not only receive grace for their moments of persecution, but like Stephen, it may be the presence of the grace to be a true witness that brings the persecution about as well.

 2009/8/19 15:32Profile









 Re:

HI Legacy, your exactly right about the presence of God and what it causes. The greatest examples is Stephen and Peter. They both preach, in essence, the same sermon, one sees 3000 saved, the other is stoned. I wrote about this here...

http://scottishwarriors.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/stabbed-in-the-heartbaptism-in-the-holy-spirit/

 2009/8/19 18:25





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy