Last Days

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us." (2 Corinthians 4:7)

"I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward." (Philippians 3:14)

"But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8)

"Do you not know that those who run on a racecourse all run, but one receives the prize? Run in this way, that you may lay hold." (1 Corinthians 9:24)

“Run this way”, because you cannot run any other way. There only one way to the Father for salvation, and there’s only one way to run in this Christian life. All of our struggles in this sense are the same, all of our races are the same. And all of us can obtain the prize laid out for us.
Jesus is not simply our future prize but He is our prize right now as a present possession in us.
To run the race any other way is not normal. Paul said not all that run will obtain this prize. This certainly does not mean a person is not saved, but it means they chose not to run after Christ in their daily life. The way to obtain the full enjoyment of Christ at the end of this age is to enjoy Christ in all things now.

This is an unusual race. The treasure or the prize has already been received, We “have this treasure in earthen vessels” our bodies. You have been fueled, set up, equipped for this race upon your salvation. Spiritually, get up and hit the ground running. Open up this treasure . Pursue this Christ in you. Find Him in everything. Getting to this prize and living your daily life for this prize is the end of the race prize!
Paul said "I therefore run in this way, not as though without a clear aim; I box in this way, not as though beating the air;" (1 Corinthians 9:26)
So get up, get to Jesus, take this Jesus into everything today, and lay your head down at night being found in Him.
Do this by faith, believe regarding the Christ in you, pursue Him as your constant supply for all things.
Don’t run in any other way. Of course, don’t let the world, self, besetting sins etc. interfere with the way you run. These things are obvious, but we often run by religious exercises, by good common sense and cultural living, and by letting the routine of daily life become our race course. Paul stated that he ran in a clear way with purpose. He found Christ in all things. He counted everything but loss that he would lay hold of Christ and Christ would lay hold of him. If you want to obtain the prize, literally grab hold of the prize, every single day . To run any other way through your day is to allow some other thing to cheat you of your prize. Run this way! So you might lay hold of Him in that day.
This means at the judgment seat of Christ we are going to be judged! This judgment is before the 1000 year reign.
We do not talk or teach much concerning this judgment of believers. Let’s change that! Let’s believe we will give account. You’re not given multiple jobs or works or religious things you must accomplish. You’ve been given Christ and he is your life and he is in you right now. You’ve been given the means to enjoy him. He lives in your spirit as Spirit. He wants to be your all in all and in everything.
This is the basis of your reward. Christians must give an account. Before we all enjoy living together in the New Jerusalem, we will serve with the Lord according to our reward in the Millennial kingdom. Your reward, your prize is in you right now for you to enjoy right now. For us to live otherwise means we will be disapproved or found unworthy of reward in the coming kingdom.
This is the meaning of well done thou good and faithful servant.
Do not be beguiled or cheated or defrauded of your prize today.

"For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those in Laodicea, even all who have not seen my face in the flesh," (Colossians 2:1)

"I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7)

Paul could have said here “I have struggled the good struggle”. This is the same word he uttered in Col.2:1 "For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you”
It is also the identical word in Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore let us also, …run with endurance the race (or struggle) which is set before us,"

Paul was a spiritual athlete. This word “struggle” means the place of contest, the arena or stadium where the Greeks would gather and watch athletes contest for a prize.

Paul writes this word from his unnatural arena, prison, where he is restricted in chains between guards, but he considers this a “vantage point” in spiritual engagement.

His arena audience is all the saints who have never seen his face in the flesh. What an unusual image! How does he contend for the prize? He prays without ceasing, rejoices in his “arena” , receives this rich word regarding Christ, and delivers this word to us. Yes to us! Because this is a contending word meant for “even all who have not seen my face in the flesh.” It is Gods eternal purpose and word for all the ages.

This contending word is Christ, to know Him as the mystery of God revealed. Not only for salvation, but now living in you.

The prize/treasure, therefore, is Christ Himself who contains all the riches of knowledge and wisdom. (Col. 2:2-3). This word is a real word. It contends that Christ is really in you. Christ is really in all believers. Oh, don’t only receive this Christ, but walk and live in Him. (Col.2:6).

Let us join in this contending word that our “hearts may be comforted, as we are being knit together in love” with all the saints who also have Christ in them. Let’s contend to know all the “riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge”. That means we all are athletes with Paul receiving this word and we are struggling, wrestling, fighting and running to obtain the treasure, the prize, Christ as our life in everything.

This is a hard word for some, but please listen. Just consider that God has an eternal desire from the ages that is culminating right now in these last days. The church represents that culminating desire. We are not to simply be waiting and watching but are urged to be ready and watching.
Growth and maturity in the church where Christ is formed in us is how we are ready, whether we die or are raptured. The eyes of the Lord are searching for this maturity, for the presentation of “every man full-grown in Christ;" (Colossians 1:28)

To the the Galatians Paul described this process as travailing "again in birth until Christ is formed in you," (Galatians 4:19)
“Again” means that they went after something other than Christ so “again” he struggles for them to mature which includes: Christ in you, being full grown in you, formed in you, and even “again”formed in you if we have wandered away from maturity. Where is this full grown, mature Christ in your community?

"And she brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne." (Revelation 12:5) ((you can read Revelation 2:26-27 assuring us this is also overcoming believers)
This full grown Christ is the man-child in Revelation 12. The great woman is all the believers throughout all the ages. All of her is not going to be complete or mature, but out of her this “man child” is the desire of God through the ages: “Christ in you…formed in you…full grown in you, the hope of glory!”
The arrival of this man -child in the heavens, prompts Michael and the angels to cast Satan and his followers from having any more access in the heavens. He can no longer accuse us because there we are standing before the Father fully formed in Christ. Satan is speechless. Praise the Lord!
This is what God is longing for as a culmination of all things.

Satan and his host are angry, the antichrist is possessed and havoc ensues during the last 3 1/2 years.
God will care for Israel and believers that remain on the Earth who were not mature. He has a whole millennium to care for them and eventually deal with the enemy. Then every man will be brought into the new Jerusalem as a ready, mature, woman bride.
Most believers don’t like this interpretation.
The goal here is not that you agree with a particular interpretation, but that we see that God’s desire/purpose will be wrought out in time. This means to mature, to be full grown, and to grow up into him in all things is needed now. Regardless of an interpretation, we should set our mind to think upon this need for maturity as believers.
He is looking for this maturity and we will all stand before the judgment seat. May we be found watching and ready.

"And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality." (John 1:14)

"This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and I heard the voice of someone speaking." (Ezekiel 1:28)

Christ in us has a Hugh Hope. It is the hope of glory! Glory is a word we use to describe the expression of God. We can’t just put this glory in a future tense as if it’s something we’re going to experience one day in heaven. Nor can we file it as the doctrinal endgame: justified, sanctified, and then glorified! Glory is not simply part of a process. Glory is a Person (Christ) and glory has a place for His shining (You)!. Christ in us has a present day active hope that has a moment by moment goal of conforming us more to the image of God’s Son. That is Glory! Paul rejoiced in sufferings, prayed, struggled, admonished and taught every saint not only for a future glory, but for a present day manifestation of that glory.

He said to the Corinthians: "But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
The glory comes from the beholding of the Lord in you. Just sit yourself frequently in front of this Christ in you! Talk, cry out, love, rest in Him. We will start to reflect Him, His glory in our living. What does this glory look like? Well, Ezekiel had a strange way of describing the glory of the Lord, but it’s really an awesome example. Please read Ezekiel chapter 1. What we see is heavenly creatures before the throne moving by God’s Spirit with the impulses of God, without hesitation. What we see according to verse 28 is the appearance of the glory of God in the heavenly’s. Praise the Lord we can see this glory of God in a human being, Jesus. No human being ever has moved perfectly on the Earth with every impulse according to the Father. Jesus did! And now this Christ, with all of his impulse to please, the Father, in every thought, every feeling, and every will, this Christ is in you the hope of glory! Surely you see this. Christ in you is your only hope of glory! While walking in this godless world, there is one distinct way to glorify God before you leave it. It is Christ in you the hope of glory. Do not miss out on this wonderful, glorious revelation.

Christ in you the hope of glory. I would say most believers have this underlined. Why is it underlined or highlighted? What does this mean to you?
This meant everything to the apostle Paul. This is why he prayed without ceasing and rejoiced in all his sufferings, this is why he was “announcing, admonishing to every man and teaching every man in all wisdom “ This is why he “labored and struggled” (Colossians 1:28-29)
He wanted the saints “to know how great a struggle” he had for them. (Colossians 2:1). That this Christ would be known in them, and grow in them.
Christ is actually not a name but a title. It means the anointed one or the Messiah. Think about what it meant for Paul, who was historically a devout, pharisaical Jew, to utter these words, the “Messiah in you, the hope of glory!”No Jewish person would ever think that way religiously. They were looking for the outward Messiah.
And then who does he say this to, gentiles! Gentiles to the devout Jewish religious person, even to this day are dogs and swine, unclean. To even think that the Messiah could live in a gentile would be heretical. What transformation took place in Paul’s life! He was no Jonah for sure. Jonah was told to go to Nineveh and proclaim repentance to the gentiles, or God’s wrath would fall upon them. Jonah ran away from God, he didn’t want to go, and finally we know, God got a hold of him in a dramatic way, and caused him to go preach repentance to the Gentiles of Nineveh. And guess what? They repented and God spared them. Oh this made Jonah feel sorry for himself and his situation. Paul, on the other hand, not only shared the revelation of Christ in the gentile, but he labored, admonished, wrestled and struggled that the Gentiles saints might know that the Messiah has come to live in them.
Christ, coming and living in the believers spirit is such a foreign concept to Christianity even today. They want the Saving Jesus but resist the Christ who wants to be all and in all. That costs too much. We may want to give up the struggle. Oh saints, don’t give up. Christ in you is the only hope of glory. Christ in you and in all the believers around you is the only hope of glory. Fight the good fight, announce Him, admonish every brother or sister at every opportunity. Speak in all wisdom and revelation of the full knowledge of Jesus Christ. Not just a partial knowledge. Not just a saving knowledge. But a knowledge that this Christ in you is the hope, is the joy, and is the life of every believer in all things. Labor, wrestle, struggle that Christ might be formed in your life and in the church

"So then we, from now on, know no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him so no longer." (2 Corinthians 5:16)
This verse indicates that Christ “from now on” is not merely known historically. And actually, from now on, we don’t know any man merely according to the old creation. Now that we are in Christ, we are new creations, and we perceive everything from that perspective. (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The new creation is that we are in Christ and he is in every believer.
Praise the Lord for the historical manifestation of Christ! We need the Gospels, but the Christian life is more than merely imitating the historical example of Jesus.
Paul’s apostleship to the churches, therefore, reveals that Jesus is actually in the Saints.
Paul’s apostleship began unlike the other apostles. He saw Christ in the body, in the spirit. The way this apostle knew Christ is the way we know Christ. Of course all the apostles experienced Christ in this way after his ascension, but this was Paul’s exclusive, subjective enjoyment of Christ. And, this is mine! Yours! And this is what he shares with all the churches to enjoy! He describes this enjoyment as the riches of Christ
If we are to know Christ today, according to the revelation of God‘s word, we must know him in our spirit, and in the body. This is the way God intended for us to know him from eternity past. This revelation, Paul says therefore, completes the word of God.
This means there’s nothing else that can be added to the church for us to experience the church. There is no new expression of the gifts, no new manifestation of the Spirit, no new, charismatic, preaching,no new revelation, no new program, no emotional experience, etc. that can exceed what Paul reveals to us.
This is why he says "To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory," (Colossians 1:27). This is why he says he labors diligently and prays fervently that the eyes of the Saints would be opened.
This is the goal of the new creation, you in Christ, and Christ in you!
It is not only Paul’s writing, and sharing that completes the word of God, but it is also our appreciation, our enjoyment, and our living out this rich truth that completes the word of God. This revelation is intended to capture you and catapult you to live in the realm of this new creation thus manifesting our part in the completing of the word of God.

It is certainly “Pauline” of Paul to write about suffering. You can find a laundry list of his personal sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11, and in chapter 12 regarding his “thorn in the flesh” the Lord responds, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness”. Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me." (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Here in Colossians 1:24 he rejoices in his sufferings. That’s not natural! Who talks like this? But this is his declaration especially after sharing the revelation of our Christ in chapter 1.
Notice he says “Now”. This is a present tense statement meaning right now while writing this, in this environment, in prison, in chains, NOW in the middle of this suffering I just rejoice because out out of this present suffering I see it is for your sakes so that the life of Jesus may be imparted to you .
Did you know that as a believer, living under the revelation of this Christ in you, all of your suffering is a supply for the body? ALL suffering! Of course the big items are what we think of in regard to suffering, but Saints, as long as you remain in this flesh, and like Paul seek to crucify it, you will suffer daily. The flesh and Satan will oppose such a Christ life. Just recognize every frustration , every obstacle, every reaction to life’s problems that exposes the flesh is a suffering in this present world, and in the middle of it just say Now, right now I rejoice in this struggle because this will turn into a supply for the body. This is not a natural response for our flesh, but this is normal for the gaining of Christ in all things.
Dear brother and sister,, everything that comes your way, is an opportunity to take the cross, and say, NOW I rejoice in this suffering, I take it, I die to this self, and thus turn a suffering loss into a joyous occasion because life is supplied in you, and to the Saints, Amen.

“To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death," (Philippians 3:10)

"By faith Enoch was translated so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had translated him. For before his translation he obtained the testimony that he had been well pleasing to God. But without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes forward to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:5-6)
So God is well pleased, happy with the saint who lives by faith. Jesus said his desire is to find such persistent, diligent faith on the Earth when he returns. (Luke 18:8)
Faith is our response to revelation. Paul’s ministry was opening the eyes of the sinner to receive Jesus. Then he spends 13 epistles opening the eyes of the church that they would see that the Christ in them is their hope of glory. Faith should be our response. In Colossians 2:5-6 Paul states he is joyous in his spirit as he is seeing their order. The order means what we see in verse 6, which is the Colossians saints having a steadfast faith in Christ, evidenced in their receiving him as Savior, and now that same steadfast faith is needed in their Walking in Him.
Colossians 1:23, “continue in faith”follows on the heels of what Paul just revealed in the previous verses: the incomparable Christ who is all, and in all, and desires, to have preeminence in all things, especially the Saints and the church. In other words, they are to walk by faith in light of this revelation.
Hebrews 11 says Enoch by faith, lived in light of what was revealed to him. Well, he did not have a Bible, but he had family members who were living almost up to 1000 years old. This means he knew it was important to outwardly cover our naked bodies. Or more importantly, he knew that blood had to be shed for the remission of sins inwardly, as seen with Adam, Eve, and Able. And then he saw, when Enos was born, that men began to call on the name of the Lord. Surely he did all of these things. He also had revelation from Adam‘s testimony. Did you know that when Enoch was born Adam was 782 years old?! That means Adam was able to share revelation about God with his great x6 grandson for over 150 years. God had a walking fellowship with Adam in the garden. Is it possible with the blood offering that man can walk with God every day even outside of the garden? He began calling on the name of the Lord, not just at the altar, but in every step of his life. Enoch by faith walked for 300 years in his daily life. Whatever revelation God gave him, by faith he diligently pursued God. This please God so much that God raptured him off the earth. Wow!
Enoch is highlighted for a reason. Well, we certainly have revelation. Christ is showing us that he is in us and he is our only hope of glory! The church today knows that Christ is in them objectively. At salvation, we describe the need to ask Jesus to come live in our heart! Where has he gone. Nowhere. Subjectively we need to believe that he’s in us to live out of us. We need to continue in faith , do not be moved away from the hope of the gospel.
The same way you received the Lord, walk in him , by faith, because without faith, it’s impossible to please Him, and God is a rewarder of those who steadfastly are walking in the light of the revelation he has given unto them.
We have so much light , so much revelation. Do you believe it? Walk in it!

"Therefore let us ( after looking at all, the brothers and sisters, who lived by faith) … put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us, Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…" (Hebrews 12:1-2)

"For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell"
(Colossians 1:19-23)
God is so happy that there is a place on the Earth where his fullness can be expressed. Oh, that all the saints would see that they express His fullness. And as the body enjoys this fullness the church surely is built. This is the hope of the gospel. This is why we’ve been reconciled unto God, this makes him so happy.
Oh, I pray that you have light to see that every, every disruption, every trial, every conversation, every interaction, every thought, and every emotion, etc. is an environment to help open your eyes to see this wonderful word of reconciliation. Romans 5:9-10 says If we have been reconciled to God by the death of Jesus, how much more shall we be reconciled by His life.
II Corinthians 5:20 tells the church “Be reconciled to God” We are admonished to enjoy the life of constantly being reconciled, going deeper into the Father, pressing from the Holy place where we have been forever washed by his blood, and are saved, now going forward into the Holy of Holies where we enjoy his constant presence.
All things are meant to ignite the reconciliation of His life in you . When this happens He’s happy, I’m happy, You’re happy! The church is happy in the Lord! Praise the Lord. Open the eyes of the saints around us, through us. May this continue in us all, through His life.

There is a place on the Earth where Christ can be expressed. Yes, your individual life can have an expression, but we alone are not His full expression. He is the Head, and just like your head needs a full expression so does He. It’s the Body! A head without a body would not just be lacking, it would be monstrous!. The body is the completion, expression and the fullness of a person.

The church (the body) is the full expression of Christ (the Head) on the Earth today (1:19). This is quite a revelation of the church. This alone should stir us to examine what is it that we call the church, what are we bringing into it, what do we expect from it, and to what degree do we live in it. Instead we have seen the church simply become a part of our culture and community life.

Paul’s urgency is for the saints to see that Christ has a Location on the Earth, and it is in the town of Colossae. They are his body, his expression, his fullness, and they all are to be cohesively joined together in him (1:17).
Today, Christ has such an expression where you live. Where saints are gathered together in His name there is an expression of his body. Do not just doctrinally check this off and toss it into the “OK I know that” box in your brain. This is the ongoing life of the church. The hope of the gospel is that he would be fully expressed and known in Colossae. Where? His body, the church, where His body is living and gathering to display the riches of Christ to one another and the world.
This is what your individual enjoyment of Christ and all your life is all about. We come together and we enjoy and share this life in Christ. This then becomes his fullness in whatever city, town, village you live in.
There is a place on earth today where Christ can be exalted and expressed. Where Him practically having first place in all things (1:18) in our daily practical life is shared, testified, sung about, praised, preached etc. This is the church! Not a preacher , group of elders, or a worship team. The Body is meant to bring and be the full expression of the Head. Anything else becomes a monstrosity.

Jesus, as the Firstborn of Creation, (15) did what Adam could not do. He lived by God as His life in all things. Adam could not properly multiply and fill the earth with many brothers and sisters and neither could he have proper dominion over the earth. He did not do it , he instead brought sin and death.

Jesus, however, demonstrated real dominion over the earth and Heaven, both visible and invisible powers. Political and religious powers, Satanic and demonic powers. (16)
Jesus also multiplied His life and became the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. We have received his life and have been brought into his identical relationship with the father. Praise the Lord! (Romans 8:29).

He is also the first born from the dead end (verse 18). This is how he did it. He brought that life that pleased the father in all things to the cross, was resurrected, ascended, as a man presented his accomplishment to the father, and thus has dispensed this life into the Holy Spirit, who now lives in us Enabling us to be the many brothers and sisters. This, we shall see, is how he is gaining first place in all things in the universe through the church! Amen!

Paul did not simply preach Christ in you, the hope of glory, but he enjoyed the Christ in him. He said in Galatians 2:20 “I’m crucified with Christ. It is no longer I,but Christ lives in me.”
Our inner being longs to live such a life, but on the surface, it appears too costly , too difficult. Especially if you look at Colossians 1:18 At the very end of this verse Paul shares the goal of Christ living in us, which is “ that he might have the first place in everything!”
Our flesh certainly says, whoa!, this is impossible.
Paul shares with the Colossians how this is not only possible, but this is the normal , natural life of the church. There is no other kind of living that will produce the church.
So it is important we dig in here to see what Paul is saying: first, do you not know that the one in you is the image of the invisible God? Jesus said if you’ve seen me you have seen the father. We know that Jesus is the son of God, divinity himself, but listen to what he says in Philippians:

"Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped, But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men; And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that the death of a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8)

Although the image of the invisible God, Jesus became flesh and dwelt among men as a man. As a man fully, he did not just live an exemplary, perfect life for you to emulate, but he lived by the father in absolutely everything as a man. This is why he is called in Colossians 1:15 the firstborn of creation. not Adam, Adam did not live by God as his life, the tree of life. Adam is the first born of sin and death, which we all share. Creation is longing for the firstborn of creation, which means the one that will restore creation to what it was made for. Sin and death does not match what God made all things for. Jesus matches the goal of all creation. He is the man who lived by God’s life in all things perfectly. In other words, Jesus gave God the father first place in absolutely everything as a man.
Now, saints, where does this Christ live? He lives in you! You cannot live a life that lives by God in everything and gives him first place in absolutely everything, but you need to rejoice because there is one. a man, who lives in you that accomplished the impossible. We can therefore live by him. Amen.

"As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him," (Colossians 2:6)
What a verse! It sums up the commission that Paul was given to share with the whole world. Two big items:
1) open the eyes of the world and tell them they need to receive Jesus, salvation. This is primarily shared by Paul in the book of Acts.
2) Paul, you also need to help open their eyes that they might see that I am in them to “walked in” or enjoyed as their rich inheritance in their daily life. This burden we see primarily expressed in the epistles.
In Colossians 1:15 Paul begins to share the believers rich inheritance, but before we explore these riches we need to make a clear connection between these two items.
Today we preach the good news of salvation and receiving of Christ! Amen! However preaching among saints today does not often make the practical connection that the indwelling Christ is meant to be our daily supply and enjoyment for the building of the church. Preaching in these last days urges us to wake up! Read the Bible more, pray more, be filled more, exercise the gifts more, and participate more. The challenge given to us is to strive to live the kind of life as Jesus lived, just ask God to empower you through the Spirit. In short we need to start living the Christian life! These sincere things are being uttered with passion, fervor, and urgency in these last days.
But, dear saints, we need to make a connection between the Christ we have received and the Christ we can now walk in and enjoy. Jesus said the Spirit in us is “the Spirit of truth” or reality. Jesus also assured the brothers that he would not abandon them, but he would come and be with them, and the Spirit would be with them. This would be their new reality, and instead of walking around bodily with them He plainly said, “I am going to come as the Spirit of reality in you, so you, (and millions more), can just abide in me and I will abide in you.” We know He says “I will never leave you or forsake you.” And while ascending He cried “ Look, I am with you always even to the end of this age” He’s saying “You may see Me ascend into the heavens, but I will be in you, as the Spirit.”
Saints, Jesus is really in our spirit as the Holy Spirit! Paul saw this revelation and he uttered to the churches that the Spirit of Christ must be in us, and that Jesus became a life-giving Spirit, and that he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit, and “for me, to live, is Christ”, and that Christ in you is your life and is the hope of glory! IS CHRIST IN YOU OR NOT? HE IS!
These are the two basic items on God’s heart Jesus gave to His steward, Paul, to share with the world. Are you in the world? Of course you are! May you receive Jesus and then make the connection and realize He is really in you supplying his life as your rich inheritance on the Earth today. When the church sees this, Christ becomes the church! What a lampstand! What a testimony!
Open up your heart to this vision. Speak to this reality that Jesus is in you right now. Thank you Lord, I love you Jesus, and just rest in this revelation and pray “Lord I’m blind, open my eyes and help me see what brother Paul saw. Thank you! You are my Savior, I have received you, now, help me Lord to just live by your life that is in me and enjoy you as my constant Daily Supply” What a relief! The pressure is off with the revelation that you cannot live the Christian life. The Christian life is not a life that you live. He already lived it, and this life is now available as a moment by moment by moment bountiful rich supply from the Christ that is living in you. This is your inheritance, Your portion of which you are qualified to enjoy. This is what you’ve received. Now make this connection and live according to this revelation.

"To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." (Acts 26:18)

"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light; "Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love," (Colossians 1:11-13)

Get into these verses, and you will see that what Paul utters to the Colossians was exactly what Jesus uttered to Saul at the beginning of his ministry. Saul, or Paul, got a lot of light in Damascus. And Jesus gives him the burden and commissions him to be an apostle and steward, who opens eyes that the hearers might receive his identical vision, which is simply summarized as, get Jesus in you, (salvation) and allow this Jesus to live out of you (enjoy your inheritance).

For our eyes to be opened, light needs to have a way to shine into us. That way is Jesus. He gets into us, and he is deposited as the very light and life of God. We are now called saints in the light. This means, if we are a saint darkness should not in anyway be allowed as a controlling factor in our living. Do you know what darkness is? It is anything that is not Christ. Anything saints! Do not justify anything. Find Christ in your morning find him all day long and in everything in every relationship because this is what it means to truly enjoy our inheritance which is Christ. Then this enjoyment is truly what makes the church enjoyable. That’s why believers gathering together are called a lampstand. We are light bearers. When you have multiple saints gathering together to enjoy and share their inheritance with each other you have a bright shining Lampstand. We may attend a place, a time, and enjoy religious things, but do we find open enjoyment of Christ being expressed in a fellowship. Is there a care for the Christ in them? There’s a teaching, there is activity, there is a good motive, there is a Christian culture and social construct in the name of Jesus, but is the very real Christ enjoyed, and expressed and testified amongst the members. Most fellowships won’t allow any open sharing. There’s a risk to that, but that is the church. And the reason it cannot be allowed much is because so much is shared other than Christ. That practically makes sense, but this is so sad. Revelation of the light in us causes us to beg for an open sharing of Christ enjoyed.
Just ask yourself, how many believers do you know actually care for Christ in their daily life? Cultivate and weave his life into everything.? Share, rejoice and deliver the person of Christ upon encountering them? Or conversations with other believers is often in the realm of things in the world. Saints, the whole world lies in the hands of the evil one. He is the dark one. He wants to devour mankind. The deceiver wants us to exclusively share our good life and enjoyment of this world. The liar also wants to condemn us and tell us we are failures. Saints, he no longer has control or authority over true believers, but he is a schemer. He uses the very pleasant things of this world and normal things of this world to hide the light. This is the warfare in Ephesian 6. Wake up oh sleeper and Christ will give you light! Win the first battle of the day. Spend time with Jesus. Put Jesus on, and Take him into your life and call on him at every juncture that you face. Then take that enjoyment to the fellowship and share the spoils of Christ and victories over the enemy with the Saints. This means share our enjoyment of our inheritance. This is to live as a saint in the light. This was the light that was seen on the road to Damascus, this is the light that Paul is sharing with the saints in Colossae (1:9-14) and the light that we are to enjoy today. Let us say with Paul, that we are obeying that heavenly vision!

Giving thanks to the Father (1:12) is the natural response if we are God’s children , especially upon seeing His Big Will for us.
John says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and we are.” (1 John 3:1) .
In other words , “Just longingly look at the quality of love the Father gives us!” It is the identical quality of love that the Father and Son enjoy!
Because we have the Son we have this love life in us. This love in us unequivocally qualifies us to receive our inheritance—Jesus! He is the reality of the Good Land full of milk and honey! Our allotted portion full of riches that we can enjoy in our daily living. The Father has "delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love," (Colossians 1:13) The church is in this realm - A kingdom of the Son of the Father’s love. Our realization of the church is in the content of this Divine love, so for us to practically handle all the saints and situations in this Love-Life deems us as “Saints in the Light” Beloved, may we long for constant opportunities to express this love- life the Father has given us! Thank you, Father!

As a Christian and student of the Bible you have to see that Paul’s burden and prayer is not simply meant for an ancient group of believers in a forgotten village, but for you today!
That statement may seem like “duh, we know that already” but saints often enjoy Paul’s writings historically or seek to only apply principles from his writings. But like Colossae we need such an unceasing prayer over us. A prayer according to Paul’s vision of the church.
Do you meet and handle all believers as actually handling Jesus Himself ? Do you live daily in the light that Jesus is really living in you? Religion has robbed us of this reality and Satan has certainly been busy. So, when Paul heard that the Colossian saints shared love in the Spirit, he knew they were abiding in the love of the Son in them (John 15:9-10) , and enjoying a inward reality that we often miss. Having heard Epaphrus’ testimony He then could pray for them without ceasing for further revelation. Such things that Paul prays for are covered in this book of Colossians and are mentioned in Ephesians 1:15-23 where he also prayed without ceasing for the church. He’s praying that God would open their eyes to see His big will over the universe and how this big will is centered in Christ and the church, and then he prays that they would walk in light of this revelation, and that Christ would become their subjective experience in all of their daily living, and finally he prays that God would strengthen them with the mighty power and endurance to not give up. Hope to the end. Fight to the end, because this life, this church life will cost something, and Satan hates the church in this realm where Christ is being enjoyed and expressed amongst the members. Don’t shrink back, certainly don’t go back to the world, but don’t become satisfied with religions idea of the church. After Seeing the church in the light of Paul’s revelation do not become fooled with the emptiness of the easy religious church experience. Paul’s praying is for us to be strengthened according to the might of His glory! What language! Glory means expression, so contextually this means the power is for the expression of His big will, which means the expression of His Son in you through the church because this Christ in you is the hope of Glory! (1:27) See it and don’t give in, don’t cave! Enduring for this expression results in unspeakable joy flowing out of saints, the church, who live in the light of this prayer. Amen.

The church happens when I discover that Jesus is really in me. As I abide, stay and enjoy His life in me His love -life fills my whole being. A longing rises up in me to gather with likeminded saints where His life overflows into our meeting. When the church is simply Christ, The church simply emerges. Amen.

Paul says “for this cause since we heard of it” (1:9). What is the it? Paul heard about their faith, their hope, and their love. According to revelation in I Corinthians 13 what is the greatest of these three? Love! "Now there abide faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13) Specifically the “it” that Paul is referring to is the love in the Spirit we see in verse 8. This is huge, because this initiates in Paul a desire to pray for the Saints in Colossae without ceasing!
This love in the spirit is the foundational root and building block of the church. "That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love," (Ephesians 3:17).
Paul is excited to hear that they are living out of their spirit and that love is its manifestation. Seeing and understanding this revelation means the saints in Colossae we’re getting to their spirit and Christ was making home in their hearts. His love was overflowing and this formed the church.
This is so significant for all the churches. Actually, if there is no love in the Spirit in the churches, the church becomes lifeless. There is no way to go forward in the church. We settle for something religious, social or commercial in the way we meet or operate. Genuine Salvation is present, Doctrine is spoken, the good works are there, there’s an eschewing of evil practices, Jesus is named, and even the gifts may be there. But Is there Love in the Spirit?
Now it is your turn: The church happens when you discover that Jesus is really in you. As you abide, stay and enjoy His life in you, His love -life fills your whole being. A longing rises up in you to gather with likeminded saints where His life overflows into your meeting. When the church is simply Christ, The church simply emerges. Amen

May the Lord give us an Epaphras in all of our fellowships. A brother or sister, who always brings us to Jesus, as the answer to all things.
The highlight of his testimony was that the Saints in Colossae demonstrated love in the Spirit. This church did not have the problems that Paul addressed in many of the others in his letters, but praise the Lord for this dear brother, who intercedes on behalf of the Saints, seeks Pauls counsel that other things would not creep in and nullify their life in Christ.

"Even as you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow slave, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, Who also has made known to us your love in the Spirit." (Colossians 1:7-8)

"And I have made Your name known to them and will yet make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:26)

"No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is (continuous action) always in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." (John 1:18)

"And He said, Abba Father, all things are possible to You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will." (Mark 14:36)

"Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed."(Mark 1:35)

"For you have not received a spirit of slavery bringing you into fear again, but you have received a spirit of sonship in which we cry, Abba, Father!" (Romans 8:15)

"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father!" (Galatians 4:6)

Paul’s prayer for Ephesian saints:
"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, May be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are And to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God. But to Him who is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us," (Ephesians 3:16-20)

Jesus, to the church in Ephesus:
"I have one thing against you, that you have left your first love." (Revelation 2:4)

Besides grace as the beginning and ending of all of Paul’s epistles, here are some other verses that share how that Grace is to be the constant supply of the church:

John 1:16
And of his fullness we have received, grace upon grace.

Acts 6:8 (NLT)
Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.

Acts 20:32 (NLT)
“And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.

Acts 13:43 (NLT)
Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God.

Acts 20:32 (NLT)
“And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.

Romans 5:20 (NLT)
God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.

Romans 5:21 (NLT)
So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:14 (NLT)
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NLT)
But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me--and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

2 Corinthians 1:12 (NLT)
We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.

2 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT)
You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
So let us come boldly to the throne of grace. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

2 Peter 3:18 (NLT)
Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.

Revelation 22:21 (NLT)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.

"And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality. … For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and reality came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:14-17)

Paul declares us all as Saints, holy ones, concentrated ones, made to contain Gods treasure- Christ! Then he says to us “Grace to you”
This is how he begins all 13 epistles, with grace. Specifically, to all the churches, he says “grace to you.” Also, in all 13 epistles, he ends by saying, “Grace be with you . This is not an accident or just a Pauline characteristic. This is Gods word to the church.
Grace is certainly Gods unmerited favor or as God’s riches at Christ expense, but these are only doctrinal definitions. John chapter 1 tells us how the disciples saw grace. Upon watching Jesus they concluded that He was the expression of Gods glory. What did they see? Jesus was full of grace and reality. This means they just weren’t seeing Jesus demonstrate grace, but they were seeing Grace itself. God’s life was in all the living of Jesus. Jesus was the gift of Gods life for mankind and they were witnessing this Jesus living the Fullness of Gods Life on earth. Then John goes on to say we also have received this Fullness. This grace Jesus, lived Gods life perfectly on the Earth, went to the cross, resurrected, ascended, and then this Grace was plunged into our spirit upon salvation. We received the Fullness! Amen. We are saints! We have been made containers of this treasure called Grace (Jesus ) and we are made to continue enjoying this Grace upon Grace.This Grace never stops. And unlike the law that condemns us Grace is our constant supply of His life.
Now Paul, the faithful steward, says, Grace to you. He says this to all of the churches. He is saying that all the saints in all the churches with all their unique problems and situations, need to enjoy the same continual supply—Grace! And so while addressing, for example the problems of Corinth, the circumstances of the Galatians, or the cultural conflicts in Colossae., what he is actually dispensing to all of the churches is Grace! Grace to you! Whether it takes three chapters, six chapters, 16 chapters, etc. he supplies the Saints with Grace.
Then, at the end of all the epistles, he says, “Grace be with you, or Grace be with your spirit! “ This means what I just shared with you, Grace (Christ) let it just stay with you, dwell in you, fill you, permeate you, and flow out of you! Grace be with you says “Stay in the realm of this grace, this Christ, that I just shared as a faithful steward to you” Amen.
Saints, this is not simply Paul’s letters that were given to ancient churches, but this is the Grace and reality, the Fullness that Paul is supplying the churches today. That the churches must express today. May we take this grace presented by Paul and may this grace, just Christ, simply stay with us in these last days. We need such a word. “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. (Revelation 22:21)

"To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours:" (1 Corinthians 1:2)

I use this verse because we know the church of Corinth is famous for its many problems. Even in Corinth Paul calls them the Saints.
The word Saint literally means holy ones, sanctified ones consecrated ones. We have been set apart, uniquely, and only for God to use. We are containers of the treasure of God, which is Christ in us.
We often read the Bible religiously , hermeneutically and doctrinally, and we study and consider the way Paul greets believers, and the way he concludes his epistles that it’s just the way he writes his letters. No! This is the word of God to the churches from the apostle that had the vision that reveals to us God’s unique desire for the church today. We are not merely reading letters from Paul, we are reading the word of God from God through Paul to the churches. And remembering that all these writings are based upon his revelation that God gave to him in Damascus . So for Paul to say “to the Saints in Colossae” is not merely a greeting.
In the New Testament, saint is use 61 times , one time in the gospel, two times by Jude, 14 times in the book of revelation and the rest are exclusively associated with Paul’s epistles or experiences, such as in Acts. Paul takes this word saint, which means a holy one of God, and makes it common for all believers! It is first used in Acts chapter 9, where Paul is blind after seeing Jesus on the road to Damascus. Ananias is told to go help Paul and Ananias says, “but Lord he’s the one persecuting the Saints in Jerusalem” As if to say, now, “he’s here to persecute saints like me in Damascus! “ After Paul’s revelation, he takes this word saint, this sacred word, and makes it common to all receivers of Christ.
He applies this word to whatever location believers are found. Colossae, Corinth, Rome, Philippi, etc. you are saints wherever you are located! Does not matter your location or situation, it does not matter where you are geographically, what era you are in, the environment you are in, the mess you got yourself into, it matters not, if Christ is in you than you are the Saints . This word is not in the realm of religion, or high spirituality or of ones personal accomplishment. It is simply in the realm of who we are and wherever we are! This is who we are in Christ Jesus. Now, with this revelation, Paul can build and speak to all the churches, he can speak to us, no matter who we are, or where we are, if we can realize this, that Christ is in us and this has made us Saints unto God! Paul has a way to move forward. Amen.

"Christ…His Body, which is the church; "Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God," (Colossians 1:25)

Note what Paul says, at the end of this verse: he says that what he was sharing to the churches as Gods faithful steward to be the completion of the word of God. It wasn’t that his word was the final word, but as far as the church was concerned, this was all that the church needed to complete the word of God during the church age before Christ return. This revelation was enough! There is nothing else needed in this church age to fulfill Gods desire for what the church ought to to! This should sober His church. That’s an awesome thought! Paul’s words to the saints is finality on this matter. We do not need new revelations or further evolution regarding the way the church goes further. What God gave Paul for the church to hear completes His Word in this matter. This also implies that our participation and living according to this revelation verifies the completed word regarding the church. We, the church, are to be a testimony on earth of God’s eternal goal today. Think of it! Paul like a good steward completes the written word regarding the church as simply His body on earth, and then we, through faith, complete the expressive word as we walk in it. What can we add or what does the church need outside of Paul’s revelation? Nothing. We become His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) meaning His composition, His finished work of art that’s expressing Him. Yes, there will be a future appreciation of that masterpiece But that’s another age. We are to be his masterpiece on the Earth for the world to see in this age! The New Man on earth today is his masterpiece. Let us walk simply in that, today, and not be beguiled by anything else. Amen

"But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your thoughts would be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity toward Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:3)

"Christ…His Body, which is the church; Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship of God," (Colossians 1:24-25)

"Here, furthermore, it is sought in stewards that one be found faithful. A man should account us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." (1 Corinthians 4:1-2)

Praise the Lord, for Paul’s, unique apostleship, and this apostleship was manifested through Paul’s faithful stewardship. A steward dispenses the family wealth. We certainly live in a wealthy family, the household of God, and our primary riches are Christ himself. Paul’s burden as the steward of God was to dispense the riches of Christ to all the members but also to teach the body of Christ how they can enjoy all the riches. We enjoy the riches of Christ in everything, in whatsoever we do in word or deed, doing all to the glory of God as we experience Christ as our life between all the members to where we simply live in the realm of the new man which is the church. The church should be an environment where you find Christ as all and see Him in all. This is the reality of the New Testament church that is under the stewardship of God. May we all be faithful stewards enjoying Him in all our living and dispensing Him to one another.

"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads." (Acts 26:14)

"…I persecuted them (saints) even as far as foreign cities." (Acts 26:11)

"And I persecuted this Way unto death, binding and delivering to prisons both men and women," (Acts 22:4)

By looking at these verses, we can see the connection between persecuting Jesus, and persecuting the Saints. The persecuting “Me” is the persecution of believers. This is a Revelation we all need to see. It will truly revive our fellowship and change our living. This is the revelation that was the basis of Paul’s apostleship. To the Colossians he urges them to see that Christ is their life. He is in them as the hope of glory, and their understanding and experience of this produces the new man where Christ is the head and is all and in all. To practically experience this in our fellowship would be quite a transformation. It was quite a transformation for Saul or Paul to see this truth. Previously, he had tortured many believers before he was headed toward Damascus. Evidently his conscience was spoken to, but He kept kicking against the pricks of God, and he would not listen. So finally, God gets his attention to see this magnificent truth. Deep inside, all along he was pricked as God was speaking to him, and kicked at His speaking’s, but on the road to Damascus he stops kicking and sees Christ. This vision qualified him for his distinct apostleship, and his epistles unveil his ministry for all believers to see this identical vision of Christ and the church. If you see this truth that Paul saw as you go through Colossians you are going to come under a conviction in your consciousness as a believer. This conviction will be to live in the reality of what the church really is. To make this transition cost Paul everything. For you to live in the realm of this revelation, brother, sister will cost you, if you ignore it, you are likely kicking against the pricks. It is far too easy to just stay in the realm of our religious understanding of the church. But what the Lord requires is a living out of the church where he is everything to us until the new man is visible in our midst. May the Lord urge us, and may we respond: Amen Lord, whatever you want, whatever it takes for you to be all and in all. Here I am!

Do you know the significance of the apostles.? Sent ones, directly by Christ, who personally bore witness of Christ in his living, his crucifixion, his resurrection, and his ascension. Such were the 12 minus Judas and their testimony as apostles. Now Paul, on the other hand, has a unique apostleship. His claim and testimony of apostleship however, is legit, he refers to his apostleship and defends it, no less than 20 times in the scriptures. His apostleship was directly related to the vision he saw on the road to Damascus. He then received a vision of the resurrected Christ, and he received a vision of the church. It is that vision that riveted his entire life. He told Agrippa that to date he had not been disobedient unto that revelation throughout his whole ministry. Paul is uniquely an apostle to the church to declare the reality of who Jesus Christ is, our very life to be expressed and known as the body as we hold the head, that we might present the new man on earth today before Christ return. This is the Revelation given clearly to Paul and it is the heart of his apostleship. Seeing it will revive you and your fellowship in these last days. Here are a few verses declaring his apostleship: "Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?" "If to others I am not an apostle, yet surely I am to you; for you in the Lord are the seal of my apostleship." (1 Corinthians 9:1-2) "Paul, a called apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God," (1 Corinthians 1:1) "Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)," (Galatians 1:1) "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope," (1 Timothy 1:1) "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy the brother," (Colossians 1:1) "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me. And last of all He appeared to me also, as it were to one born prematurely." (1 Corinthians 15:9-8)

God has a clear desire throughout time. He wants to put his life in man that man might have uninterrupted fellowship with him. Like an arrow He has shot this out from eternity past, and He will surely reach his mark in the future. In the garden, we see the tree of life was planted. Satan entered into the world to stop Gods desire. God then gave an altar and a lamb to man that through sacrifice, Life with God could be enjoyed. Then the law and the tabernacle were provided to his people, Israel. He eventually gave them a land with a city, Jerusalem, and in Jerusalem there is a Temple, where man can come and bring a sacrifice, and have life with God. All of this was according to God’s eternal timeline. There was no deviation on His part. Ultimately He gave them the reality of it all -the Messiah , yet many of God’s people rejected him. They deviated. But God‘s purpose kept flying straight on through Christ Jesus through the cross, nullifying sin and Satan. Then through his resurrection, his ascension and the dispensing of Himself into mankind through the Holy Spirit Christ’s life was deposited. Now in the church there is the opportunity to enjoy Christ as our life (Colossians 3:4). When the members of the body choose to enjoy Christ as their life What do we have ? The new man! (Colossians 3:10-11). The new man is where Christ is the head and we all are enjoying his life in all things. Christ is all and end all! This life then is flowing in the Body between all the members. This is what God desires, and this is what we should be after. Everything else is a deviation from that straight line that was shot out from eternity past. This is how we watch and make ourselves ready in these last days. Now this line is still flying straight through the church expressing the New Man. Then there will be a rapture, a tribulation, a bringing the remnant of Israel into this new man, when Christ comes again. And then into the millennium, where this new man will visibly reign with Christ as our Head. This arrow will land finally in God’s eternal target, which is the new Jerusalem! He will reach his mark. Christ in you becoming your all your living will manifest as the new man, and the new man will eventually be manifested as the new Jerusalem where God will hit His target, He will come down and dwell with us and we will share His life and enjoy God as our Father in this family forever. Amen!

We need to get a general overview of the false teaching in Colossae in order to understand Paul’s message. Note these verses: “If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast and not being moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I Paul became a minister." (Colossians 1:23)

"Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ;" (8)
"Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath," (16)
"Let no one defraud you by judging you unworthy of your prize, in self-chosen lowliness and the worship of the angels, dwelling on the things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by his mind set on the flesh, And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God." (18-19)
(Colossians 2:8-19)

The Riches of Christ in Colossians (His resume’)
He is:
Chapter 1
Our inheritance, allotment
Our light
The king, He has a kingdom.
Redeemer
Forgiver
God, His very image
Firstborn of creation
Creator of all things (16-17)
Source of all things
Object of all things
He Existed eternally
Center of all things
Head of the Body /church (18)
Firstborn of the dead
Has First place in all things (18, see 2:19)
The Full expression of God. (19)
Reconciler
Peacemaker
Redeemer
Incarnated one
Death conqueror
Sanctifier
Hope of the gospel
The mystery revealer
The container of all Gods riches
The Life in me (27)
Our hope of glory
Our source of maturity
The operation of divine power in me
Chapter2
The mystery of God
The treasure house of all knowledge and wisdom
Solid basis of our faith
He is who we receive and walk in
Fullness of God
Our fullness (9-10)
Head of all other heads
Circumciser of my heart
Resurrection
Life giver
Forgiver of all offenses
Divine eraser of my failures
Divine blocker of all that condemns me
Divine killer of all that would kill me
The Victor over all my enemies
The reality of all things that speak of Him
The practical Head of the body (19, see 1:18)
The life that flows through the body and holds it together
Chapter 3
Worthy one on the throne
My relationship with the father
My hiding place in God (3)
He Is OUR LIFE (4)
Appearing or coming one
New man (10
Unifying man
He is all (11)
He is in all
He is All my relationships
He is the oneness the peace, the love the bond of perfection and the ruler of all our hearts in the church (15)
He is the indwelling word in our spirit
The Name above all we speak or do. (17)
He is the cause of our thankfulness
He is the submission to my husband, the love to my wife, the obedience to my parents and my integrity towards my master
He is a goal of why I do everything
My reward and my rewarder
Chapter 4
He is the reason for the bond with all the brothers and all the sisters
The Grace that is with us. "And I fell before his feet to worship him. And he said to me, Do not do this. I am your fellow slave and a fellow slave of your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of the prophecy." (Revelation 19:10)

Colossians gives us a Grand Canyon view of the objective truth about the person and work of Christ. This is truth we must believe, but Paul’s thematic verse in Colossians 3 urges the church to live beyond objective truth! "When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:3-4) Paul’s declaration is that the Christ majesticly presented in this book, is to become our life! Our living! Paul says in verses 1-3 that we died with Him, and since we died with Him then we should surely live with Him. Our mind can now be constantly set upon His life because He is our Life! Then one day His life will be manifested in full glory before the universe. Do you see the progression? He died, so we died with Him. He lives, so we too can live His life. Then His life will be manifested in glory, so we will appear in glory with Him manifesting His glory! Saints, we are not just hoping to be there, declaring “Whew, I made it!” no! But our hope is to be with Him revealing His full dimensions as described in Ephesians 3 where we first see the objective truth which is "That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith,” and then we see the subjective expression is “that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are and to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ,” and lastly we see that this will be the glorious eternal expression, “that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17). His life, available in His church today as our subjective enjoyment is what will be manifested with Him in glory. He became our life on earth, and in glory His rich life that we enjoyed will be on eternal public display. We are His masterpiece, not only because we believed in objective truth, but because His Life flooded our daily living. This is what will appear with Him in glory, all else will fall away. Paul’s burden is for us to set our mind on such a living today (Colossians 3:1-2).

"When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:4) There are really only two choices for you to make every single day as a believer. You will either enjoy Christ as your life which is God’s intention or you will live out of yourself. Handling everything, planning everything, responding according to your own thought and feeling, Seeking amusement and satisfaction through what this world has to offer, and filling up the moments of your life with something other than Christ. It is not even a matter of something that is right or wrong, but it is being led along by something other than just a Christ, This is the natural life. Then, there is the Christ life. This life is so rich and unfathomable. Yet God has made it possible that we can enjoy his life through Christ. Colossians tells us all about the riches of Christ. About his person and his work and how that this life is to be the norm for believers. Do not settle for the natural life, but seek that which is above where Christ is seated on the right hand of the father. Set your mind on the reality of who you are in Christ. Read this book of Colossians over and over. Mark every word that describes who Christ is and highlight every verse that describes your relationship with this Person. Enjoy this book together with me and see Paul’s clear presentation of Christ and the church. This is truly our simple need in these last days.

"But you, go your way until the end, and you will rest and rise again in your lot at the end of the days." (Daniel 12:13) who is telling Daniel to go his way? The man in Linen, above the river of Waters, Christ! To “go thy way” literally could mean, Daniel it is your time to leave this earth, die, but there is a great spiritual supply here. Just go back and read Daniel 1 through 12. It begins with him being uprooted from his home and taken away from his family as a young man, thrown into captivity, standing often before and against kings who could end his life, fiery furnaces, lions dens, and it ends with him as an old man engaging with angels of God, witnessing the darkness that opposes God, seeing Israels fateful future and even seeing Christ Himself. But Daniel once again begs to see more (12:8) he wants to understand what will happen and what the end of these things be! And the Lord says Daniel “go thy way, rest” Daniel had actually spent his entire life learning to rest in God‘s purpose and plan. This word rest means to settle down, relax, no matter the environment that’s turning you upside down. Can you relate? He goes on to say Daniel rest and rise. Not only am I your rest Daniel, I am your resurrection and I am your life. I saints, Christ is certainly our rest and our Resurrection /Life in these last days. I trust you are living in this reality.

Water, especially a river of water, is of a great significance in the Bible. The river of water indicates the supply God desires for us: his purpose, his building, and his eternal plans for us…this River of water in general supplies His life to mankind. Actually, the whole book of Daniel is not simply a book of history, but it is an unveiling of how God is carrying out and will pour out his economy over the people of Israel. God is going to do it, it is unalterable, so God tells Daniel twice in chapter 12 to seal it up and rest in what God has revealed. Standing at the source of this river of water Daniel sees the man in Linen… this is the same Christ that he saw in Daniel chapter 10, when he was standing beside the river. Saints, Christ is our high priest thus the linen garment. He is able to mediate between God and man. He is also able to supply mankind with God’s river.God is the Source and Jesus is the Course. This means He is the way that we receive Gods life and understand what God is doing. The whole book of Daniel is a big river flowing from the heavens revealing what God wants to do on earth towards mankind specifically Israel. Babylonian captivity, Nebuchadnezzar, the fiery furnace, Medo/Persian empire , the lions den, king Cyrus, the Greek empire, the Roman empire, the last seven years on earth with the antichrist…all of it is the flow of God’s River!Hallelujah today this river is not outside of us, but according to revelation in John, chapter 4, John chapter 7, and the book of revelation we see that this river is flowing from the throne of God, through the Lamb of God, and into our inner most being, and can be our daily supply of life. Do you know this man above the river? Are you living by His supply? I trust you are!

"And those who have insight will shine like the shining of the heavenly expanse, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars, forever and ever." (Daniel 12:3) "Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand." (Daniel 12:10) "If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2) Daniel was certainly one who set his mind on the things above rather than things of the Earth . I think for most of us to set our mind on things above as opposed to things below brings us into the realm of asceticism. The realm of good versus evil. Focus on spiritual practices rather than the cares of this life. No! Paul was instructing the saints in chapter 2 of Colossians against asceticism. Get your eyes off of yourself and what you can do or are failing to do. Get your eyes rather on the throne! Where Christ is! Just look-He has made us alive with Him, we share His life!This connects us directly, boldly to the throne of God where our Divine Connector is seated at his right hand. Praise the Lord Daniel had visions that God gave him in the old testament economy to guide the saints in that day. Praise the Lord we have this simple vision of Christ, who has brought us into himself and we can daily enjoy whatever is coming from the throne . Purpose and building comes from theThrone, God’s intentions from eternity past come from the throne, immeasurable love for us comes from the throne, and life is constantly being poured out through Christ to us from the throne. Hallelujah! So what do we do? We set our minds there. What are you looking at today? Tomorrow? What’s troubling you ? What in this world has drawn you away from Him? Just pivot. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Stop the religious, earthly , down below view. Look instead to the things that are true about you. Those are the things above. Nothing, and I repeat nothing can keep you from life that flows from the throne. There He is on the throne… just like that. Now stay there, live there constantly supplied by him for every moment of your living. This is , beloved, genuine insight.

"And those who have insight will shine like the shining of the heavenly expanse, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars, forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end; many will go here and there, and knowledge will be increased." (Daniel 12:3-4) “ Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 13:43). Daniel was certainly a shining one! This was because he desired insight from The Lord: he longed to know His plans. We also are to be the shining ones. John 1:4 says, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." To let our light so shine before men is to let the inner life of Christ as our light come out of us. It is not to hold a little candle out for men to see. It is to let the shining from our inner enjoyment of Christ beam out of us ! The church should simply express Christ, having God's glory shining through it (2 Cor. 4:6-7). When people touch the church, they should be able to touch Christ in all the members.

God is not in the realm of “tit for tat.” The enemy does this and God responds and does this, no! God has an eternal purpose that he is carrying out upon the Earth in every age, and he knows the beginning from the end. Chapter 12 of Daniel primarily deals with the last 3 1/2 years of the tribulation. We see in verse 1 that MICHAEL has already been assigned almost 2500 years in advance to come to the aid of Israel. You can read about this in Revelation chapter 12. This is amazing! God is doing what he’s going to do and mapped it out from eternity past. Satan is constantly reacting to everything that God is doing to seek to thwart to stop and diminish what God is doing. He uses the sword or war, famine or economic hardship, and he uses pestilence or death. His aim is to kill and destroy and stop gods eternal plan from being fulfilled. Satan, that’s impossible! For example, God has already prepared MICHAEL to defeat you at the midway point of the tribulation. This is absolutely thrilling to see. In the whole book of Daniel, we see in the first six chapters deal with the earthly plane where evil is opposing good. That’s the Earthly view, but in the last six chapters, the heavens are revealed. God’s angels are fighting against the princes of Satan. Satan is responding to what God is doing on the Earth, and God is always there and it’s always reigning. In Revelation chapter 4 and 5, we see the throne of God with the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders surrounding the throne sitting on smaller thrones with crowns. These are the elders or leading angels that are carrying out, gods eternal purpose. They are administrators to that end. Gabriel is there and Michael is there. Lucifer used to sit on one of these thrones. In chapter 4 and 5, in anticipation of the coming messiah Prince, Jesus, they cast their crowns before the Throne of God. Do you know why? The administration is now handed over to the son of God, who became the son of man and Conquered it all. Now, God can still use a Angels and Will use them in whatever capacity he sees fit, but do you not realize that the one who is greater than angels has come to live in your spirit? His name is Jesus Christ. You don’t need a guardian angel, and I’m not seeking to deny that or debate that, but you have Christ in you!. And now the administrator Christ is administrating victory over the enemy through the church, through the Saints, over Satan. Oh how the church needs this revelation. God is looking for you to wear the crown for you to administrate with Christ over the church, and eventually ride with him in white on those horses in the battle of Armageddon, leading the way, not the angels, wearing those crowns and wedding garments into victory over the host of Satan. What revelation this is for us to see!

"Then there will arise in his place a despicable person, to whom the honor of a kingdom will not be given; but he will come in a time of security and will seize the kingdom by smooth and cunning words and actions." (Daniel 11:21). Daniel chapter 11 unveils the constant depression that Israel is going to experience in future days. Specifically with the Greek empire trampling across Israel. Antiochus Epiphanies will rise up and exponentially oppress Gods people and the land. Daniel 11 describes him as that despicable one who speaks smooth and alluring words and commits degrading acts in their temple. Struggle is not new to Israel. We know that Jeremiah prophesied about the 70 years occurring with Israel’s captivity in Babylon, but did you know that his message was greatly rejected? They tried to kill him, imprisoned him, beat him and shut him up! The king of Judah, Zedekiah, listened to false prophets saying “no, it won’t be that bad it’ll just be a couple years…what Jeremiah says is not true”. Well, they were in captivity for 70 years. He tried to help and prepare them, but they would not listen, do you know what else what we find in the book of Jeremiah? Jeremiah told them at least 15 times Your judgment is going to be “by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence”. 15 times! The three words, sword, famine and pestilence, appear in a group in 26 different Bible verses. That's not an accident. I think Israel, as well as all of God’s people throughout the centuries have experienced these three elements. This is actually the eventual behavior of all human governments throughout the ages. Babylonian, Medo/Persian, Grecian, Roman, and the world empire underneath the leader ship of the antichrist during last days. The reason for this is because Satan is the prince and the power of the air and he and his princess have a strong reaction to the purpose of God. There is a Satanic desire to stop, destroy, and even kill in order to thwart the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew 24, Jesus described such a reaction as birth pains. In revelation, chapter 6 Christ Ascended into heaven, and as a result of his accomplished work and release of the gospel the sword, famine, and pestilence, (or death) ensued, and this trio has done so throughout the ages. Satan has always sought to stop God’s purpose from going forward upon the Earth, whether it involves Israel or his church. I believe this is important for Christians to see. This is a hard revelation, but without it believers are asleep in last days. This is a serious matter and it is not just to consider another view, but it is a wake up call in last days to be vigilant watchful and alert, rather than anticipating an escape from these things. Much like Jeremiah‘s Prophecy we may not like such a message, but if this is what the Lord is doing, we need to take heed, watch, and be ready, because we do not know the hour of our Lord’s coming. Consider these things amen.

Gabriel speaking to Daniel says, "there is no one who holds strongly with me against these ones except Michael your prince." (Daniel 10:21). Then in chapter 9 he told Daniel, "Know therefore …until the time of Messiah the Prince will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;… And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah will be cut off (crucified) and will have nothing;" (Daniel 9:25-26). These verses indicate that God assigned during Daniels day, Michael to be there prince and do battle against Satan’s dark minions (the prince of Persia, and the prince of Greece) along side of Gabriel. What a tremendous, heavenly insight Daniel gives us. No matter what is taking place on the Earth, even if we think God is not aware, He is! Heaven is battling to fulfill, God’s , eternal purpose, no matter what age we live in. In chapter 11 we see this continues. Daniel sees the prince of Greece (Javen) will cause so much turmoil to the land of Israel, multiple warring s between the nations of the north and the nations of the south using Israel as their trampling ground. The poor people of Israel have been so trample upon through the ages. I encourage you to read the first four versus of Psalm 83. The Psalmist says. "behold, Your enemies are in tumult, …They devise crafty counsel against Your people, …They have said, Come and let us destroy them from being a nation, That the name of Israel may no longer be remembered." (Psalms 83:2-4). Verse 1 wondered if God was aware or awake. Do you see what’s happening to Israel , your people? Saints, after reading these few chapters of Daniel, and seeing the princes of darkness that Satan has put in place to stop Israel, how can we not see that he is still busy turning the world against the nation of Israel. Do you know what God‘s goal is? That they would see their true prince. Not Michael the angel, but God has sent the Messiah prince, who was cut off and crucified, Jesus . O would we pray that the eyes of Israel would be open to see Messiah Jesus as their true prince, Amen. It surely will happen in the future, but may God start opening more eyes of Jews and gentiles in these last days.

Chapter 10 of Daniel reveals what we typically do not see. That is the spiritual warfare in the heavenly realm on behalf of what is taking place here on earth. In this chapter, there is a temptation to focus on that subject matter. We do not need to study Satan or his minions, nor do we need to have a full comprehension of God’s angels and their activity in order to live this Christian life. We simply need to know that it’s there and it’s happening, God allows it, the warfare is constant, and God is in control. What we need to keep our eyes upon is Christ and that God is looking for precious ones to cooperate with him in regard to what he is doing on the Earth. It was long prophesied that Cyrus would be Israel’s deliverer. Satan knew this and did everything he could to stop it. Satan will not prevail, no matter what because God will do what God is going to do! And God will use even angels to do his bidding if need be, but what God longs for in every age are precious ones who are cooperating with what God is doing. The angels are not the precious ones, Daniel has that designation. In this scene, it’s almost as though Gods predetermined operation of setting God‘s people free is dependent upon Daniel praying for God‘s purpose and plan, and while he is interceding God sends angels to do battle with the prince of Persia. God longs for us to be precious ones cooperating by praying for and living for what he desires. Amen. I don’t know how to say it, but here goes: “God doesn’t need us, but he has made it so that his purposes and plans are dependent upon our cooperation.” May you and I be such a precious one that will cooperate.

I challenge you to just read the Bible with this thought; “God is longing to dwell,without interruption, with man.”. You can go from Genesis to Revelation and see this preeminent theme. Of course, it’s interrupted by man’s rebellion over and over again, and Satan is there, jealously, disrupting, and seeking to stop any effort of mankind to get close to God. This desire of God is really clear as we look at the dwelling places that God has provided throughout time. The garden (Adam), the altars (patriarchs), the tabernacle, Solomons temple, Daniels Rebuilt temple, the temple, during Jesus‘s day, the temple that will be built during the tribulation, and finally the full realization of Jesus, being Israel’s temple during the millennium. God will bring Israel into this reality. All of Israels built temples are symbolic of God’s desire to dwell with man. John chapter 2 reveals the reality of God’s house. Jesus cleanses the temple with a whip and then later says, destroy this temple, (or the fathers house) and I will raise it up again in three days . We know that he is referring to his body being resurrected. This indicates that Jesus Christ is the real dwelling place of God. He is the true house of the father! He is the ideal man that God can live within! But that’s not all… through the work of the Cross, Resurrection and the Spirit all believers have been brought into Christ. The church therefore is Christ. This means that we in Him and He in us are the real house of God, both Jew, and gentile. But it doesn’t end here …after the millennium all believers become the prepared wife of the Lamb and will become the final dwelling place of God called the new Jerusalem. We need to pray for Israel as they go through their troubles, we don’t want to see the these things happen, but these troubles are what will draw them with chords of love to see Jesus as their true dwelling place with God, enable them to experience Jesus as their ability to dwell with God,(Millennium), and ultimately realize with all believers their eternal dwelling place of God in the new Jerusalem. To pray for the peace of Israel is not to simply pray for a easier, better day, or to pray for a situation now on earth where they are free from oppression, but it is to pray for this ultimate realization where they will say to Jesus you are the Christ, the son of the living God. This is the only peace that Israel can ever have, and the only peace that we can ever have. The Father longs for the day when we with Israel become His Home forever. “My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Ezekiel 37:27)
“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them”. (Revelation 21:3)

"In the third year of Cyrus the king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the word was true and concerning a great distress. And he understood the word and had an understanding of the vision." (Daniel 10:1) Daniel saw great distress, happening in Israel’s future from chapter 9. It tells us here that he lacked understanding. Chapter 10, 11, and 12 is the understanding that God gave Daniel, but we must note before we go any further that Daniel could not receive understanding about anything until he saw this Jesus, in all glory conquering everything and standing victoriously in the heavens. This is the identical vision that John saw in revelation chapter 1. Saints, if we cannot see Christ today, who is what he has done, and where he lives, then we can have very little understanding about anything. Understanding does it mean anything apart from Christ. Colossians 1 : 16 - 17 says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. All understanding is hollow and pointless apart from seeing the reality of Christ. The disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus, were seeking understanding, what happened to Jesus who was crucified? They could not even find his body as it was gone from the sepulcher. Then Jesus appeared, but they did not know it was him. He walked with them for a while and reviewed them that they did not know their old testament, which spoke about him, and the events that were distressful to them. Then he sat down to break bread with him, and they urged him to keep talking, and as he broke bread, he vanished from their site. One of them said didn’t our hearts burn within us, telling us that this was Jesus? Scripture says their eyes were opened! This means they could understand everything in the Old Testament everything about their present condition and things to come because they saw Jesus. Are you seeing Jesus in your daily life. Do you go to the Bible looking for him, his life, his purpose. If not, you’re reading, your praying, your religious activity is hollow. We need to see Jesus in all things if we are going to understand anything about today, tomorrow, or things to come. Amen.

Daniel experienced the identical vision that John had in Revelations chapter 1. Both saw Christ glorified yet they saw him glorified as a man. Daniel saw a “certain man.” This is significant. We need to know that all old testament saints from Adam to Daniel need this certain man, the incarnated Christ. Israel was looking for a Messiah prince, who would deliver them from all their troubles. What they need, is a certain man called Jesus, who would deliver them not only outwardly but inwardly. Every age, and every move of God is dependent upon this certain man. In Daniels age of rebuilding the temple, he needed to see this vision of Jesus. In our age of the church, we absolutely need to see the significance of this certain man who lives in us, and because of his incarnation can supply his life within us. Christ appears multiple times in the book of Daniel And each time we see the significance of the incarnated son of God. God’s eternal purpose relies upon the word becoming flash and dwelling among us. Paul said I am crucified with Christ. I no longer live yet Jesus Christ lives in me. Our ability to experience and enjoy this certain man in our daily lives is the Reality and Testimony of the church in this day that God desires.

God is moving in every age he desires, something in every age . We call this God’s moves. In Daniels day. It was the move of allowing Israel to be in captivity. Daniel prayed in chapter 9 for their readiness to be released from captivity. Then at the end of chapter 9, God gives him more revelation of what God is going to do in the future, Daniels 70 weeks. God’s going to rebuild the temple, God is going to send the Messiah prince, God is going to allow the antichrist to have his way during the tribulation for a short time. And then we know it before the tribulation occurs, the age of grace has emerged, the church age, which we live in now. In all of these moves, God is looking for saints on earth to Express His move, to be interested in what he’s doing, and to be according to what he’s doing. In chapter 10 Saints were released to go back to Jerusalem. Not all of them, just a remnant. Daniel, due to his old age remained under the reign of king Cyrus. But he continue to pray, earnestly for God‘s people to go back to Jerusalem and express what God’s doing. Now what did that look like? It simply was believers, who were passionate for what God wants. Rebuild Jerusalem! What age do we live in? The Church age! Now what does a believer look like who is expressing God’s move on earth today. Quite simply we live in a wonderful age where Christ has come to live in us and the church should simply be an expression of Jesus Christ rather than ourselves. Unfortunately, most Christians do not know the reality of the church . They treat it like a building, a program, a time, a place, a club, an event, etc. We need to cry out like Daniel in chapter 9 God forgive us we’re blinded by our religion. The church is simply Christ in us! If you find the church in your locality, you should find saints who are living for the expression of Jesus Christ in their daily life. And when they come together, it is a glorious expression. Day by day all things happen and come to us for the expression which is the building of the church. Yes, we are Building Something… It is the holy habitation of God, which is Christ, who has brought us into him, and,he into us , and on earth we are to be a constant expression of him until that glorious day we are all gathered as the new Jerusalem. There we all will have been processed through time to be his eternal expression. May we participate today in the building of the church, the new Jerusalem. Whatever happens to you today turn away from it and turn to Christ and say, Lord Jesus you are the Christ,, build your Church amen .

"Seventy weeks are apportioned for your people and for your holy city, to close the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make propitiation for iniquity, and to bring in the righteousness of the ages, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies." (Daniel 9:24) Daniel was such a precious saint to God because Daniel was fervent for God’s move upon the Earth. The big move of God was seeing Israel released from captivity and return to Jerusalem.(Daniel 9:1). He prayed so fervently because it seemed Israel was in no condition to go back to Jerusalem. In his exhaustion, Gabriel came to him and informed him of Gods next big moves upon the Earth. 70 weeks were appointed for the restoration of Israel. 7 weeks or 49 years would occur, and then the temple would be rebuilt. 62 weeks or 434 years would then take place until the Messiah Prince would come to Jerusalem. And that time would be marked by the crucifixion, or cutting off, of Christ. The Jewish people eventually would reject him and crucify him. The last week or seven years is the tribulation period still to come. These are all the years or weeks that God has determined to deal with the people of Israel, and restore them unto himself and his kingdom. Now there is an obvious gap between the 69th week and the 70th week. This was a Mystery to Daniel but it’s known to us as the age of grace. During all these major moves, God is looking for saints like Daniel, that he can call precious which means they are riveted to whatever God is doing. For example, during the 49 years of rebuilding the temple, what should a saint do?! They should live exclusively for the rebuilding of the temple. Now , what is God’s move today? It is the building of his real temple. It is the church the dwelling place of God. God’s move today is that believers Express Christ in anticipation of his coming. The appropriate dwelling place for God on earth today is a fellowship that is filled up with Christ expressing Him. It is so easy in these days to live for ourselves, to focus on our needs, and to become enmeshed with the cares of this life, The Lord is looking for saints, who have given over them selves to live for this Christ, to pray for this expression on the Earth in the church, and in essence to be living for God’s move upon the Earth in this age. These are Overcomers. These are precious saints in these last days. When we see what God’s move is on the earth today, and we live for it and pray for it everything else falls into place. Everything that is happening is happening for the building of God’s habitation. Your frustration, your struggles, your problems, your dead ends., And on and on and on everything is for God’s purpose, which is Christ, expressed in you, and thus in his body locally. Pray for that revelation that we might see what is the fellowship of this mystery called the church. Amen.

"At the beginning of your supplications the command went forth, and I have come to tell you, for you are preciousness itself. Therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision." (Daniel 9:23) Daniel is called, not only preciousness, but he is called preciousness itself. This means that Daniel was so infused with a vision for God’s economy that from God’s point of view Daniel is the epitome of what is precious to God. I think we struggle so much to try and please God and become Worthy in his sight. We find ourselves trying to do something or be something for him. We consequently are found living in the realm of condemnation, failure, and looking at our mistakes. Do you know what God wants? If you could just describe his eternal purpose for the next three minutes, what would you say? Every Christian should have a vision for Gods, eternal purpose. Then that purpose of God should be the passion of all of our praying and our living. To the Ephesians, Paul prayed that God would open the eyes of the hearts in the church. "The eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling," (Ephesians 1:18). If you and I could pray longingly for what God desires to see fulfilled on the Earth this kind of prayer would garner the attention of the Heavens. This kind of prayer sent Gabriel‘s to the side of the Saint Daniel. This kind of prayer commands God to perform his will on the Earth. This kind of saint is preciousness itself to the Lord.

""For he who has entered into His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His own. So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Let us therefore be diligent to enter into that rest lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience." (Hebrews 4:10-11). Rest is a person. It is the revelation of that person which is Christ Himself. Daniel and Israels ultimate hope was in the coming Messiah, however, the kingdoms of the earth would continue to be manipulated by the enemy to overcome God’s eternal purpose, specifically wrought out through the Messiahs coming to Israel. Daniel lived through Babylon and a portion of the Medo- Persian empire, and he is seeing how the Heavens rule not Satan. Daniel chapter 8 reveals a most evil attempt of Satan through the Greek empire. Daniel would not see its emergence so the Ancient of Days gives him a vision, which will later be seen by Israel prior to the initial coming of Christ. This vision reveals the most glaring revelation of the spirit of the antichrist through Antiochus Epiphanies. This evil Greek general will commit fornication and abomination in the temple of God prior to the coming of Christ. He will press the people of Israel. But this revelation of Daniel provides a genuine rest for the people of God to know that the heavens rule, no matter what you see. God will provide overcomers who will defeat Satan‘s attempts to thwart God‘s eternal purpose on the earth which is manifested through the Christ child in Israel. This revelation of the Greek empire supplied rest for the people of God in that day. They knew according to Daniels prophecy that God already knows all about the struggle. The heavens rule, brothers and sisters. What are you worried about today? The actual antichrist is coming, and he’s going to commit great abominations that will again be manifested and culminated in the temple of God. Today, however, the spirit of that antichrist is prevailing on the Earth. How is that affecting you as you see such an evil advance? Anxiety, worrying, laying up materials to fight against the coming onslaught? Brothers and sisters we have revelation given to us ahead of time in the word of God. Rest in that revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ prior to his second coming. Amen!

"But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, indeed, forever and ever." (Daniel 7:18). The Ancient of Days always has a burning churning purpose from eternity past.His sits on the throne with the books. (Vs.9-10). This desire is centered in His Son who ascends before His throne (vs. 13-14) and takes the book from the Ancient of Days and administrates Gods purpose upon the earth. Revelation, chapter 4 and 5 complement this passage. Then we see the ancient of days is mentioned again in verse 18 down to verse 28. The ancient of days is focused on the Saints. Who are the Saints? Certainly Daniel saw them as the Jewish people being connected with the Messiah and the Kingdom. But we know the Saints include the church. The son of God ascended before the throne in verse 13 To what end? To administrate the kingdom of God to who? The Saints! The word saints means, set apart, sanctified holy ones. That’s who we are not because of who you are, but because of who he is! He has made you saints who now possess this burning desire of God in our spirit to be an expression of his glory, just like that temple in Jerusalem was to express his glory on the earth, we are to be that expression today, and into the future Jerusalem, the glory of God on the earth. As a saint this is our desire today in the church. The new Jerusalem is the culmination of what we are enjoying today in the church. Oh, may we be a present day participant enjoying the life of a saint. But let me warn you according to Daniel chapter 7 human government, energized by Satan culminating in the antichrist, will make a war against the Saints, and it says will seek to wear out the saints. That’s why the Bible says do not be weary in well doing. Just get in touch with that desire of God. Start thinking about God’s, eternal purpose, his burning wheel doing something moving toward something … pray with of you, for that, and get in line with that! The enemy cannot touch it, and the enemy will be devastated. Amen! Identify as a saint, identify with the saints. He’s chosen us to dwell in us, and we are expressing him in every place full of Jesus ‘ love and grace. This is the church. This is the desire of God on earth today.

The “Ancient of days” that Daniel sees sits down upon the throne with the books in his hand. I think Daniel is seeing here what John saw in revelation, chapter 4. God on his throne, ready to pour out his eternal purpose on the earth. But no one was found worthy to open the book. Then in chapter 5, the worthy One appears. Don’t weep John, the Lamb of God has appeared! Both Daniel and John are seeing the Ascended Christ as the one who is qualified to open the book that is in the hand of the ancient of days. Daniel, however , did not see what John now reveals. The Messiah would come to earth, live the Christian life for us , take it to the cross, rise from the dead, ascend before the Ancient of Days, take the book out of the Father’s hand and administrate Gods purpose on the earth first through the church. This was a mystery to the Jewish understanding. . Of course this began with the church receiving His life through the dispensing of His Spirit. This initiated the kingdom of Heaven coming on the earth before crushing Gods/ Israels foes. Daniel could not have understood the inclusion of the church, but this is what he sees in his dream. This stone cut out of God (Daniel 2:35) is Christ. But Before He crushes His enemies He was “cut but not with human hands” meaning He came out of Ancient of Days for a purpose. That word “cut” literally means to be determined. God purposed or determined beforehand that this Christ would carry out His will. Not just to crush the enemy at Armageddon, but to do it all! He was “cut out” to administrate Gods kingdom on earth through the church. He ascended before the Ancient of Days and this happened: "And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, / That all the peoples, nations, and languages might serve Him. / His dominion is an eternal dominion, which will not pass away; / And His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:14) Jesus did it all, ascended, and was the Worthy One who to this day is administering the kingdom on earth.

"And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and on his heads names of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority." (Revelation 13:1-2) The fourth Beast in Daniels vision is the same one we find here in revelations. It is the antichrist, super energized by the dragon himself, Satan. It is Satan‘s goal throughout the ages to defeat God‘s people so that the eternal purpose of God, which is his kingdom appearing on the earth, might not take place. In Daniel 7, we see the second vision of the governments of the earth. The first vision of the metallic statue was quite magnificent, and stately. Governments do serve a purpose on the Earth but they are destined to fall. Here, in chapter 7, all of the governments of the earth will culminate in violence and cruelty, under the leader ship of Satan’s antichrist dragon. Have you seen the degradation of the government where you live nationally and locally? Many of us have been privileged to be under a governmental system that has allowed us our freedom to enjoy our faith. America may have been an exemplary government in its beginnings, However, in these last days, we are seeing our governments become cruel and violent. This is the enemies ultimate goal . His goal is to wage war with the Saints on the Earth through the kingdom of men and stop the purpose of God from happening! Soon, following Jesus will not simply be tolerated, but it will be fought against. Open your eyes, and realize that we are not destined to be saved by a government on the Earth but by a kingdom that is coming down from heaven to the earth, led by Jesus Christ the Messiah. The church today is to overcome our current environment and stand against the opposition of the enemy. Overcome the age you live in 24/7. Live in the realm of desiring God’s purpose to be fulfilled on this earth. Realize that it is the Saints that overcome on earth, while they live, that will overcome with him when he rides down into that final battle against the Dragon and destroys him. Overcome now that you might overcome then!

The first six chapters of Daniel, we see are stories that stair step together, one building up on the other, and give us a strong case for the need to overcome. The last seven chapters contain revelation given to Daniel regarding future events. These seven chapters are to old testament saints like the book of revelation is to us today. In order to enjoy, comprehend and see the revelation that God has for us, we must overcome. The church must overcome. Those that overcome the age they live in are engaged with what God wants in the book of revelation, not in their own personal expectations, or fantastical ideas, but look at revelation and see the person of Christ and the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose and desire through Him.