November 2002

Christ:
The Landscape of Life

Part Forty-three

“LO and BEHOLD”

“Guarding our garments” (H)

           The Dict. root garnir for the word garment lit. means: “To EQUIP”! The Body of Christ must be equipped to overcome God’s enemies! Eph 6:10-12 says, “Be strong in the Lord and the Power of His Might! Put on the whole armor of God to be able to stand against the devil’s wiles; for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood; but against principalities, powers, the rulers of this world’s darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places!” Yes, “Our weapons of warfare are not fleshly, but are mighty to pull down strongholds!” (2 Co 10:4) What a contrast to this world of flesh and blood that has long devised physical armor and weapons to combat fleshly foes! Such ingenuity has led to today’s upscaled weaponry with its capabilities of mass destruction- that has us presently poised for the possibility of a 3rd world war; while nations scramble frantically to develop some sort of defense against a sudden biological, or plague-infesting, or all-out nuclear attack! Even if it were feasible to conduct the business of our lives, 24 hours a day, wearing gas masks; such measures have been proven insufficient!
            So what is the answer? Our only hope is to be armored in God’s Saving Anointing, which is the Resurrection Life of JESUS CHRIST! Only as we are clad with His Divine Discernment, and clothed upon with His Revealed Knowledge and Wisdom; and invested with His Omnipotence, can we successfully stand and oppose the enemy of Truth and Righteousness! Only when our trust, and hope and faith and love is deeply rooted in the Savior of the world, shall we be conquerors over the adversaries of the Living God! For long years, and more now, His Spirit has been whetting our “Sword of the Spirit- the Word of God” (Eph 6:17) for this historic battle! Each soldier in Christ’s Army has kept ready his “helmet of Salvation”, his “belt of Truth”, his “breastplate of Love and Righteousness”; and his “shield of Faith”; as God prepared his “shoes of the Gospel of Peace”! Equipped in such armor and weaponry, “Through Him we are more than conquerors!” (Ro 8:37)

“Knowing the time- that it is high time to awake from (our Adamic, deep) sleep; our Salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. For the Night is far spent; and the Day is at hand; therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us PUT ON THE ARMOR OF L-I-G-H-T!” (Ro 13:11-12) Further, “JESUS SAYS... I A-M THE L-I-G-H-T OF THE WORLD!” (Jn 8:12)

           So when God orders us to “put on” His “Armor of Light” and His “Armor of Salvation, Truth, Righteousness, Love, Faith, Peace and the Word of God”; He is ordering us to “put on” Jesus Christ! When it says above, “The Day is at hand”; Jesus Christ is that “Day”! Col 3:9-10 exhorts God’s people to “Put off the old man with all his deeds”; referring to our Adamic nature and its evil unbelief! Then it says to, “Put on the New Man Who is renewed in knowledge in the Image of Him that created Him”; which surely speaks of Jesus Christ! The phrase, “put off”, is from Gk 554 apekduomai meaning: “Wholly divest oneself; despoil”; (1562) “Make to sink out of (esp. clothing); take off, strip, unclothe!” This means having our beggarly rags of humanity- the carnal-minded death that has long shrouded our souls- utterly removed! The phrase, “put on”, is Gk 1746 enduo: “To sink into a garment; invest with clothing; array, to endue, or clothe with!”
            God has hid a Body of sons around the world in which this transfiguration will soon occur! Time is short for the dismantling of their carnal natures to be completed, so the Mantle of Messiah can envelop their entire beings! Father’s suffering creation has long-awaited their manifestation and thank God His Manchild Company shall emerge fully armored and armed in Jesus Christ; for their work is cut out for them! Increasingly dark forces are gathering like thunderclouds across the earth with terrorism about to burst its bulging cocoon and become a widespread menace! We now see random cloudbursts of isolated acts of terrorism on the earth; but this growing enemy has too many faces to be distinguished. History has endured many tyrannical regimes through the ages, but never has it known global anarchy prefacing an outcry for order that unmasks the spirit of antichrist! With this vile villain openly exposed, the final crowning of Christ as Lord of all can proceed! His Sovereign Sonship shall manifest in a many-membered troop who are clothed with the full Power of Jesus Christ! What a magnificent, electrifying, and breathtaking time to be alive! Let all who are in this election of overcomers stand firm and upright during their final fitting in the Armor of Light! Let us rejoice during our final preparations for this epic showdown between unrighteousness and Righteousness, between lie and Truth, between fear and Faith, between hopelessness and Hope, between hate and Love, and between death and Life! Glory be to God!

[TO BE CONTINUED]