THE CONFLICT
THE CONFLICT
Comparatively few Christians have any definite idea of what they are here for — the thought of most is that it is simply a question of getting to heaven in the end. I fancy Satan has not much to quarrel with in this; I do not think he would object much if they all went now. Why? Because he does not want the claims of Christ asserted here; and by whom are these to be asserted if not by the saints? For this reason he has helped in the past to send many of them to heaven. It suits his purpose equally well to lull them to sleep.
The contention is the earth: We claim it for Christ, and the Devil wants it. He succeeded in getting a footing here, but he will be dislodged. The Lord said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” Luke 10: 18; that was the beginning of it; during the millennium he shall have been actually removed from the scene. We really do not go at all; it is he who has to go. It is very clear that the saints remain in heaven only for a brief season. They come out again to inherit with Christ, and they come out to stay. The earth is evidently part of the inheritance. It was made for man, and I do not think it was ever the thought of God to dissociate man from it. The great point, evidently, is to bring earth and heaven into touch, and this is brought to pass in the heavenly city. Once the city comes out, there is nothing in Scripture to prove that it returns. There will be new heavens and a new earth, but the present heavens and the earth form, in this connection, the great theme of Scripture.
From the outset God made it clear that He was Lord of heaven and earth (see Genesis 14: 19; Exodus 19: 5; Joshua 3: 11), and the holiest of [p. 16] all in the tabernacle was the witness to this; whatever the claims of men might be. The church’s position corresponds to this at the present moment: we maintain the claims of Christ in relation to the heavens and the earth. The Lord Himself came here claiming everything for God. He would yield nothing. Our position corresponds fully. God has asserted His rights in Christ and we maintain them; and this necessarily involves conflict. The first confession the believer makes, Romans 10: 9, is an assertion of the rights of Christ; he owns Him as Lord. It is not simply that He is my Lord, but Lord of everything.
To hold the earth actually now would be earthly mindedness and disloyalty to Christ, who was cut off and had nothing here. The man who understands the inheritance best will be the least earthly minded. We are here simply for Christ and our safety lies in standing out boldly for His claims. There is really no danger at the front, danger lies in the rear, Deuteronomy 25: 18. Man is the theatre of operations whether it be on the part of God or Satan. It was through him Satan got in, but God has got a footing here in Man and He does not propose to give it up.
The Lord left things here outwardly pretty much as He found them; but He left a man here without fear — Peter. Peter was perfectly fearless in proclaiming the claims of Christ before all the world. There is no change outwardly. The valley of the shadow of death remains (Psalm 23), but the man in that valley has no fear. Enemies are there, but a table is prepared for him in their presence. The fact is the scene is not changed at all, the man is changed. Peter is the kind of man we want. He was as bold as a lion. He had been a coward before — we are all cowards naturally. But the Spirit brings us into the calling, that is, into God’s house; that is the greatest thing conceivable; there is music and dancing there. When the Lord went up there was [p. 17] music and dancing in heaven, so to speak, now it is here by the Spirit. The man who enters into this can stand.
It is an immense thing for the saints to see power in the hand of Christ. David said to Abiathar, “with me thou shalt be in safeguard”. 1 Samuel 22: 23. He was in rejection, but power and protection for the Lord’s people were with him. He prefigured Christ at the present moment. David was a most wonderful character. Deliverance and safety for Israel were with him. The Philistine cause was hopelessly lost from the first moment of his appearance. He extirpated the giants and never lost a battle. If you want to be safe come out boldly for Christ. It often takes a Christian a long time before he sees he has to contend, but in the conflict loyalty to Christ is safety.
Armour is protection — a different thought to power. You can only give an account of it as you have used it. Paul, no doubt, could give a perfect account of it.
At last you come to a point where you stand. This is not in the wilderness but in the land, “Having done all”, Ephesians 6: 13 i.e., having gone right through and overcome everything to the finish. The Spirit maintains the witness subjectively that Christ is Lord. What we are in every-day life is the testimony. To stand for Christ involves self-surrender, but this is worth the while, for we are sure to find Christ in it.
Acts 4 furnishes a wonderful illustration as to the power through which the Lord protects His people at the present time in answer to prayer. The position of the man of faith is one of constant exercise and watching.
God generally keeps His people by leaders. The strong is to support the weak. If the Lord gives a man ability and strength, it is not to make him great, but to shelter and feed the saints. I do not know where we should have been for the last half [p. 18] century, or indeed at any time, had the Lord not raised up leaders to protect His people. And Satan always attacks them. Whatever is presented by the Spirit is always resisted when it is being ministered. In many cases it will be found that the very opposers of a given ministry subsequently adopted what they once resisted; that is, when the occasion of it no longer existed. Stephen’s address in Acts 7 is a remarkable evidence of this. Every testimony of God had been resisted by Israel at the time it was rendered. The written record of these testimonies was afterwards accepted and read in their synagogues every sabbath day.