What It Means to be Filled with the Holy Spirit # 64

The Victory of the Cross of Christ (continued)

The Word of God makes it clear that those redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb are to be overcomers, they are not to be overcome by satan and his antichrist tactics.

"And they overcame him [that old serpent, called the devil, and satan], because of the Blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death" (Revelation 12:11).

"And I saw ... them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand ... and sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb ..." (Revelation 15:2, 3)

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded because of the witness [the testimony] of Jesus, and because of the Word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4)

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be His God, and he shall be My Son" (Revelation 21;7).

So it is clear that we are supposed to be overcomers, and the key to our being, and continuing to be, overcomers is in the words which follow the Holy Spirit's declaration of satan's doom: "Here is the patience [the endurance] and the faith of the saints" (Revelation 13:10). And these words lead us again to Revelation 1:9, where John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is writing these words to us: "I, John, your brother and companion - sharer and participator - with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance [which are] in Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:9).

So in Revelation 13:10, we have "the patience [the endurance]" and "the faith" of the saints; and in Revelation 1:9, we have "the tribulation" and "the kingdom" and "the patience' which are in Jesus. We have long contemplated these inspired words: I am your brother and companion in the Tribulation, in the Kingdom, and in the Patience which are in Jesus. We know that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3 14), but what does it mean when the Word speaks of The Tribulation, the Kingdom and the Patience which are in Jesus?

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 65)