We continue our study of The Great Commission by addressing some of the major strongholds that must be confronted by the gospel of the kingdom. In recent weeks we have been addressing how Marxism is fundamentally in conflict with the coming kingdom, as well as with what has propelled civilization forward. Marxism is a basic regression in virtually every way, and wherever it has been implemented it has brought poverty and death. 

Because of the terrible terrorists attacks that came on September 11, which is 9/11, I was impressed to look up Revelation 9:11:

"They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is
Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon."

          As we covered last week, the main reason the Lord did not take His authority over the earth immediately after His resurrection was to seek a bride. The wife of the first Adam disobeyed the Lord and submitted to the devil, but the wife of “the last Adam” would resist the devil and prove her love for the Lord by her obedience. At all cost, against the opposition of the entire earth and even hell itself, she would follow the Lord.

Last week we addressed our responsibility to "put to the test those who call themselves apostles" (see Revelation 2:2), or who claim to be sent by the Lord. Certainly, some were offended by that, but they were probably the very ones that needed to be put to this test. What I am about to say will likewise offend many large churches, missionary organizations, and charities. I am not saying this to be critical or offend them, but to help them, which some will eventually understand.

          We know from Scripture that with unity there is a multiplication of spiritual authority. There is the biblical testimony that one can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight. The Lord also taught that if any two could agree, then it would be done for them. Of course, this agreement is more than just an intellectual assent to a matter; rather it implies an actual and deep union between the two.

     We tend to think of IMPRESSIONS as the lowest form of prophetic revelation, but that does not mean they are not important and the source of important revelation. Impressions are usually knowing something without knowing how you know it. These can be gentle or strong, but they are still ambiguous, rarely clear, or specific.

         As we covered, The Reformation took root and spread with the development of the printing press and the Bible being made accessible to the people. As the Scriptures were read, the contrast between the practices and doctrines of the institutional church and the Word of God were easily seen. Multitudes, and even nations, began to break away from the Roman church in Europe. Thus began The Reformation, or the reforming of the church.

John G. Lake

(1870–1935)

         John Graham Lake could be compared to Jacob, the biblical character and schemer. He was ordained in the Methodist Church after claiming to have graduated from a seminary that did not exist. Even so, his passionate desire to serve the Lord would, like Jacob, be changed to make him “a prince with God.”