Continuing where we left off last week, we consider the number 12 in the picture of the Bride of Christ -- the number of Ekklesia, the number of preparation, and the number of governmental authority. Last week, we said that the New Jerusalem does not only consist of Jews. Representing the call to, and gathering from, the nations are the twelve foundation stones, and on them the names of the twelve apostles who made up that first Ekklesia.
Let’s see if we can wrap us this series today and talk about the blessing of tribulation. Can’t think of anyone I’ve ever talked to over the years who suggested that tribulation was an absolute blessing, but it is. No affliction, no trial, no false accusation, no trouble of any kind seems to be joyful at the moment you are going through it, and when all hell breaks loose around you, you often look for a hole so you can crawl into it and hide. Doesn’t seem to work that way, does it?
It has been a pleasure, thus far, to see the responses of readers who’ve taken this series to heart – especially those who’ve been through a lot, not really understanding what it is all about. So many folks have been programmed with the religious mentality of the so-called “Great Tribulation,” believing that it is something the Lord is going to snatch them out of so they don’t have to suffer.
I ran out of time last week to finish the story of 13-year-old Rosa Frankson, who endured persecution, beatings and torture for the sake of the Gospel. I’m getting ahead of myself in saying so, but her life and her testimony affected the whole community of Point Hope, Alaska. After three or four days of hanging between life and death, and fading in and out of consciousness, she was awake and talking to the attending nurse. "You need to know Jesus like I do," she said. The nurse teared up, and not knowing what else to do or say, reached over and patted Rosa on the head. "You're going to be OK, Rosa."
For reasons that are perfectly understandable when you realize how much we have been contaminated with the culture and mindset of death, God’s people want to be “raptured” out of here to escape all those things that Paul experienced for the sake of the Gospel. I want to begin today with a story of a young woman who experienced much of what we have just read in II Corinthians. Her name is Diana H. Hopefully, we will be able to have her share her experiences in person, but for today, let me give you a very brief overview of her life.
It was my intention to begin a series on Covenant today, but because of a number of ongoing discussions with different groups in the past few weeks, I felt the necessity of changing gears for the next few weeks. Most of us have grown up within the structured church world and subjected to a variety of teachings concerning “The Great Tribulation.” In fact, there is no such thing in the Word — anywhere — as “The Great Tribulation.”
The spirit of condemnation is one that pursues every woman who has ever had an abortion. Despite what you see and hear in the media, and the baloney coming out of Hollywood, the overwhelming majority of women who have had abortions also suffer from extreme guilt, from an overwhelming sense of loss and condemnation that they seek to hide from in a wide variety of ways. Deliverance from both the Spirit of Abortion and the Spirit of Condemnation are an absolute necessity for these women. What sometimes accompanies these spirits is a Spirit of Murder – and the woman who has had the abortion sometimes commits suicide to escape from the guilt that haunts her.
Last week, we talked about responsibility and consequences of choice. One of the things that goes with "a woman's right to choose" is the consequence of that choice. The Spirit of Abortion, of course, always hides the responsibility that goes with choice, and particularly the consequences that follow our choices. The deception for Christians who get contaminated with this same spirit is that they think that because they protest and take a stand against something so obviously hedonistic -- something which so clearly violates the Word of God -- they can avoid the consequences when their protests also violate the laws of the land.