I think we come to the point of
the word finally.
And you may wonder, when Paul says finally,
it seems to be a very long finally.
But I don't think I'll keep you long.
We'll be very short, I hope.
Will you please turn to Revelation chapter 12.
Revelation chapter 12, verse 1.
And a great sign was seen in the
heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and
the moon under her feet, and upon her
head a crown of twelve stars.
And being with child she cried, being in
travail and in pain to bring forth.
And another sign was seen in the heaven,
and behold a great red dragon, having seven
heads and ten horns, and on his head
seven diadems.
And his tail draws the third part of
the stars of the heaven, and he cast
them to the earth.
And the dragon stood before the woman who
was about to bring forth, in order that
when she brought forth he might devour her
child.
And she brought forth a male son, who
shall shepherd all the nations with an iron
rod.
And her child was caught up to God
and to his throne.
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where
she had there a place prepared of God,
that they shall nourish her there a thousand
two hundred and sixty days.
And there was war in the heaven.
Michael and his angels went to war with
the dragon, and the dragon fought and his
angels, and he prevailed not, nor was there
a place found any more in the heaven.
And a great dragon was cast out.
The ancient serpent, he who is called devil
and Satan, he who deceives the whole habitable
world, he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
And I heard a great voice in the
heaven saying, Now is come the salvation, and
the power, and the kingdom of our God,
and authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brethren has been
cast out, who accused them before our God
day and night, and they have overcome him
by reason of the blood of the Lamb,
and by reason of the word of their
testimony, and have not loved their life even
unto death.
We are not going to interpret and explain
in detail what the visions John saw in
Revelation twelve, what do they mean, but we
would like to just point out some underlying
principles in these visions.
I hope, brothers and sisters, you will not
be concerned with interpretations.
If you have different interpretations, do not be
stumbled when we go along, because this is
not our purpose for this last meeting.
I would just like to use this as
a picture before you.
Here you find a woman who is clothed
with heavenly glory, and yet she is in
pain, in trouble.
And then a red dragon standing before that
woman, waiting for the son to be born,
with the intention of devouring it.
Brothers and sisters, this woman pictures to us
the Church of God.
The Church of God is clothed with heavenly
glory.
She has a heavenly calling, and yet she
is in pain.
She is groaning.
She is going to bring forth, I
believe, brothers and sisters, the Church today is
going through such a time.
The groanings, the agonies, the crying, it's almost
like going through death.
It seems that again and again she is
going to die.
She is not able to get through a
great crisis.
The Church of God today is going through
such a critical moment.
There is not only the outward persecutions, oppressions,
tribulations, difficulties, that are pressing upon the Church
of God.
In many places on this earth, God's people
are not able to come together as we
are privileged this morning.
They are being watched, followed, accused, punished, separated,
exiled, in prison, unto death.
You find persecutions, oppressions, tribulations, coming upon the
Church of God in great ways, but that's
not all.
Even within, as it were, there are divisions,
strives, doubts, fears.
It seems as if the woman is thrown
into such a puzzlement.
She does not know what is happening.
She is going through a period of death.
It is a battle of death and life.
Do we hear the groaning?
Maybe the groaning is in you.
Maybe you hear the groanings.
But the Church is going through a difficult
time.
She has a heavenly calling, but she has
not fulfilled the testimony.
But thank God.
Whether it comes from outside, whether it comes
from within, or whether it springs up from
within, to bring the woman into such a
state, in the sovereignty of God, it is
all unto, positive.
It is not in vain.
Lots of God's people today are puzzled, confused,
wonder, what will happen?
Will we ever get through?
Will the testimony of Jesus ever help us?
But in all these, the Lord is going
to bring forth a male child.
What is that male child?
That male child is the reality of the
testimony.
The testimony of Jesus is entrusted to the
woman, but she has failed.
And out of all the confusion, all the
troubles, all the problems, all the difficulties that
God allows to happen to the Church, it
is to bring out in a male child,
the reality of the testimony.
This male child is a corporate thing, because
as you read on you will find they
overcome, because of the blood of the Lamb,
because of the word of their testimony, and
they love not their life even unto death.
Brothers and sisters, God is working.
All the upheavals you find in the Church
today, all the awakenings you find in the
Church today, all the disappointments you find in
the Church today, all the rising up, as
it were, in the Church today, and all
the falling away you find in the Church
today, it is a life and death process.
The Church is going through to bring
out the overcomer.
In whom is the reality of the testimony.
The reality is that she is there waiting,
waiting for the child to be brought forth,
in order to devour it.
Brothers and sisters, Satan hates the testimony of,
Satan is not concerned whether you have that
woman or not.
Originally, the testimony of Jesus is given to
that woman, but now, the woman is there,
but the testimony, Satan knows too well what
has happened.
We may be deceived, we may be blind
at times, but Satan is a very intelligent
being.
He knows too what he is after.
He knows what concerns him.
The woman who is originally raised up by
God, to bear the testimony of Jesus for
his downfall, that woman is now powerless, is
crying, is in pain, is weak, is on
the verge of death.
It is no longer his target.
He allows it to exit, but he is
waiting for.
It is the reality of the testimony of
Jesus, that he hates, because he knows.
If the testimony of Jesus is maintained, he
is destroyed.
Dear brothers and sisters, these days we are
talking about the testimony of Jesus.
Oh, how, how we need to have a
vision of the Risen Lord, the Alpha and
the Omega.
How we know Him, need to know Him
as the Living One.
Not just mentally, but have it wrought into
our being.
How needed, and what a privilege, if we
are given the testimony of Jesus, and we
are able to keep it.
But brothers and sisters, to have the testimony
of Jesus is a costly thing.
It is not all mountain tops experience.
Oh, it is good.
Let us make three tents.
Let us stay here.
But there is the enemy in the valley.
For the sake of the Word of God,
and the testimony of Jesus, John was exiled.
Brothers and sisters, if by the grace of
God, he has shown you the testimony of
Jesus, he has wrecked your
finish.
Do not think that from now on you
will live in the clouds.
As a matter of fact, you are at
the front line.
Don't be surprised if you find yourselves as
the target of accusation, of satanic attack.
Things that you can never dream will come
upon you.
Not because of you.
You are not that important.
You haven't changed.
It is because the testimony of Jesus is
in you.
Oh, brothers and sisters, having the testimony of
Jesus is the most glorious thing that you
can ever have.
And yet it is the most dangerous thing.
The enemy is waiting to spring on you.
He doesn't care about anybody.
He doesn't care about any group.
He cares about the testimony of Jesus.
Where the testimony of Jesus is, there is
his attention.
There will be his attack.
He will try to devour it.
We don't need to be afraid.
Because the male child is also the attention.
As soon as that male child is born,
before the red dragon has a chance, he
is brothers
and sisters.
God is calling for overcomers.
To be an overcomer means only one thing.
To be joined to the testimony of Jesus.
To some in a greater measure.
To others maybe in a smaller measure.
But in whatever circumstance you are in, according
to the revelation he has given to you,
you are joined to the testimony of Jesus.
You are not alone.
Even though the calling must come upon us
individually.
But the overcomers, they overcome.
Brothers and sisters, the brothers and sisters, how
do they overcome?
Satan here is especially mentioned as the accuser.
The one who accuses our brethren before God,
day and night.
Sometimes his accusation is true.
Sorry to say that.
Many times they are not true.
But he will accuse anyway.
He is a liar.
He takes lie as truth.
And that's the reason why he can continue
to accuse.
Because he thinks it's true.
But dear brothers and sisters, no matter how
he accuses us before God, there is the
blood of the Lamb.
The brethren overcome him because of the blood.
We are not perfect.
Do not think that now you are perfect.
Not at all.
The more you see the Lord, the more
you see yourself.
In his light we can only prostrate in
dust and ashes.
How can we ever lift up our heads?
How can we stand before our accuser?
Not because of ourselves.
But we know the preciousness, the availability of
the blood.
Oh brothers and sisters, as you go on,
you'll find the blood of the Lamb is
getting more and more dear to you.
The blood.
The blood answer all his accusations.
Even if these accusations are true, as you
all know.
One day Satan appeared to Martin Luther.
And Satan brought to Martin Luther a scroll.
Written both inside and outside in fine print.
And the title of that scroll is The
Sin of Martin Luther.
And Satan threatened him and said, how do
you dare to do the work of reformation?
Who are you?
Martin Luther knows the preciousness of the blood.
The power of the blood.
He did not argue with Satan.
Well, these are true.
These are false.
He took up a pen.
Dipped in the red ink, he wrote over
the scroll.
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleansed
him from all sin.
And Satan disappeared.
Oh brothers and sisters, the more you all
join to the testimony of Jesus, the more
you will be under accusation.
When accusation comes to you, remember one thing.
No matter from what source, what direction it
comes, the source is the same.
It is the accuser who is accusing.
Not only the world will accuse you of
many things.
You don't know.
Even your brothers, your sisters will accuse you.
If not your brothers and sisters, if not
the world, it is the accuser.
What will happen?
So dear brothers and sisters, if the Lord
has put upon you the burden of the
testimony of Jesus, remember one thing.
You can only overcome by the blood.
They overcome him because of the word of
their testimony.
Brothers and sisters, the testimony of Jesus is
our testimony.
When is the testimony of Jesus becomes our
testimony?
When what we have been shown becomes an
experience.
If we see him as the first and
the last, we allow him to have the
first place in our lives.
If we see him as the living one,
we live not longer by our lives, but
by his life.
If we see him as the one who
became dead and is now alive, we too
are dead to all that is in Adam.
But we live only in him.
If we see him who holds in his
hand the keys of death and Hades, we
are in the victory, in his victory.
Brothers and sisters, when what we have seen
and heard of him is wrought by the
Spirit of God into our very being, that
becomes our testimony.
The word of their testimony.
We are not afraid to declare what our
testimony is.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes you need to declare
before the enemy what your testimony is.
But oftentimes we dare not declare it because
we don't know if it is true.
It's always true in Christ, but we are
not too sure whether it's true in us.
But dear brothers and sisters, as the Lord
enables us, we declare it.
The word of their testimony.
And thirdly, how do they overcome him?
How do they overcome him?
They love not their lives, even unto death.
In other words, they follow the Lamb with
us wherever he goes.
There is no consideration of any kind.
We are wrapped up.
That's the attitude.
That's the Spirit.
That's the heart that is fixed.
And you know, because
they have overcome him, what is the result?
They were...
Now brothers and sisters, I'd like you to
see this picture.
We are on earth, given the testimony of
Jesus.
Why?
Why are we given the testimony of Jesus?
Why should we testify in this world?
In this hostile world?
Who Jesus is?
What he is to us?
Why should we testify in this world?
Why should we make such a public declaration?
Why?
It seems to be the most foolish thing
to do.
If you are in a country where there
is persecution against Christians, it is the most
foolish thing to tell people, I am a
Christian.
Oh, even if you are a Christian, don't
say it.
Play safe.
Why should we maintain the testimony of Jesus
on this earth?
Why?
There is the throne in heaven.
There is the headquarters of Satan and his
followers in the air.
And there are us one day.
They overcome him who is in heaven.
That's the spirit.
You know in battle, usually those who are
higher up has the advantage.
But here you'll find, those who are under,
on the earth, they have overcome the one
who is in the air.
And they overcome him in such a way,
they are caught up to the throne.
In other words, they get through the headquarters
of the enemy.
They open up the way for the king
on the throne to come down.
Brothers and sisters, that is what the testimony
of Jesus does.
It is the testimony of Jesus that destroys
the power of the enemy.
It is the testimony of Jesus that overthrows
Satan.
It is the testimony of Jesus that opens
the way for the return of the king.
And after they have got through, there will
be war in heaven.
Michael and his angels will fight against Satan
and his followers and there will be no
more place in heaven that is in the
air for Satan.
Satan is thrown.
It's all the result of that thrusting throne
of the male child.
Oh brothers and sisters, what are we looking
for?
What will happen next one day?
There will be a king.
And when that happens, the king, brothers and
sisters, is with him.
Lord, thou hast set before us a good
example.
Thou hast made a good confession before Pontius
Pilate.
Oh, the testimony of God is preserved in
thee.
Thou hast declared thyself to us.
Thou hast made known to us who thou
art and what thou art.
And thou hast apprehended us.
Thou hast caught us.
We cannot escape.
Oh Lord, we marvel at thy mercy that
thou dost entrust thyself to thy people, knowing
who we are in ourselves.
Oh, how we praise and thank thee we
may fail, but thou failest not.
How we praise and thank thee thou hast
call us to be overcomers.
Thou hast call us to follow thee.
Oh Lord, may we hear thy call.
May we see no one but Jesus only.
May we forget ourselves and follow thee.
Oh Lord, we need thy blood.
Lord, make thy testimony our testimony, that we
may announce it, proclaim it, declare it.
Oh Lord, give us that spirit.
Oh, that we love not our lives, because
we love thee.
Lord, oh how we praise and thank thee.
Thou art doing something tremendous.
Out of all the confusions, out of all
the trials and tribulations, out of all the
gruelings and the crimes of thy people, oh
thou working thy purpose out.
Thou bringing in the reality of thy testimony.
Thou bearing upon thy enemy the power, the
strength of thy testimony, until thy enemy is
overthrown.
Oh, thy kingdom come.
The salvation of the Lord and His kingdom
is now come.
Oh, to thee be honor, power, glory, dominion
forever and forever.
Oh Lord, we worship thee.
Thou art a great God and greatly to
be praised.
All that thou hast done is good, marvelous
in our eyes, wonderful Lord.
We worship thee.