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