The year is taking shape very fast. 2012 is very strategic in many respects. I try to tell as many as I can; this is the year paradigms will change completely. Doors are opening, no matter whose ox is gored. And I can bet you, the devil is getting really, really mad. God is stepping on grounds that the enemy thought have been conceded to him over the ages. Ha ha! Aiyamexcited!
There are reasons to be excited; but let us get sober first. I refer you to the post that precedes this one; Opening the Door of Mercy. If you do not locate mercy, you may not survive these times. Oh, have you not noticed how cheaply human lives are being taken? What are the criteria that determine who and who become victims and who will escape? It's a bit funny, though scary. It is as if anything can go off anytime, anywhere, and anyone could be there. Oh, we believe bad things happen to 'some other people'. No wonder we easily ask 'Why me?'. May God keep you and me. The Psalmist taught us to say:
'Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us. But to Your name give glory, BECAUSE OF YOUR MERCY...' (Psalm 115:1).
You and I must locate mercy and reside there permanently. Hear what Jesus told some people when a tower fell in Siloam and killed eighteen people. He said 'Do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men in Jerusalem?' (See Luke 13:1-5). Just answer that yourself. Paul the apostle said 'So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy'. (Romans 9:16).
See, the devil is mad about a revival that is about to hit the earth. In Revelation 12 we see the dragon standing face to face with the woman in labour, and with his tail he dropped a third of the stars (vs 4). Many of God's children will still be casualties, if they take for granted the mercies of God.
Job's children probably relied on the righteousness of their father. You have got to stop thinking your pastor got you covered, or your General Overseer oversees your soul. And you dare not trust your own righteousness. There is One Righteousness you can bank on. That is where we are going today. By His own mercies, God will open a Door today; the Door of Righteousness. Okay.
I may need to refer to that pivotal Scripture once again. Psalm 24:7-10.
'Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of Glory shal come in. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.
The Door of Righteousness, no doubt was open by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Before He came, all acts of righteousness were at best a filthy rag before God. (See Isaiah 64:6). You only need to read the Book of Leviticus and see the extent to which man must go to even appear before God. So much depended on the high priests and their carrying out of the many sacrifices stipulated for the purification of body and soul. (See Hebrews 8:3). Sacrifices were done year in year out because the blood of bulls and goats can not take away sins (Hebrews 10:4). Let me tell you a few things about sin.
Never you think of sin as something you do or an act you commit or omit. Of course there are sinful acts, but essentially, sin is a mystery; and the Bible said that much (See 2 Thess. 2:7). And this is the age when the full power of iniquity will come upon men. Maybe I am just imagining things. Why did Paul talk of 'the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who NOW works ... '? (See Eph. 2:2-3). 2 Thessalonians said 'the mystery (of lawlessness) is already at work'. It is as if it had not been at work before. Isaiah saw this when he exclaimed '...darkness shall cover the earth, GROSS (or deep) DARKNESS the people...' (Isaiah 60:2). And you remember the Lord Jesus Himself said '...iniquity shall abound...' (Matthew 24:12). Sin is a mystery and the fullness of it is being unleashed on my generation. So how did I know sin is a mystery?
Many of us think the devil brought sin to the world. I know the Bible said '... the devil sins from the beginning ...' (I John 3:8). Yes. The devil perpetrates sins, but sin did not originate from him. He was the first sinner, but he was not the source of sin. See Ezekiel 28, from verse 12, there was a lamentation for the king of Tyre- a typology of Lucifer- who was the seal of perfection UNTIL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN HIM. (Verse 15). Another version said 'till sin entered him'. Sin entered the devil too! Sin made him the devil, he has no mastery over sin. Sin is stronger than Satan. Don't let him deceive you. He is as powerless over sin as many people are. In fact, while the blood of Jesus is available for men, Satan can no longer repent.
So if sin is a mystery, what is the way out? Like a covenant, only a higher mystery can solve a mystery. Here is the higher mystery that de-mystifies sin. 1 Tim. 3:16 says
'... without controversy, great is the MYSTERY OF GODLINESS: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory,'
It is not only men, even Lucifer can not understand that Jesus was God in the flesh. How do you comprehend it; that God became man? But that is the joker that dismantled sin! The Omnipotent God was crucified for man?! Scriptures said
'None of the princes of the world had known, for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory'. (1Cor2:8).
So God has de-mystified sin in Jesus Christ. If you have been saved by Jesus Christ, sin no longer have dominion over you! (Romans 6:14).
So, our faith is a mystery too. (1Tim3:9). Godliness - the process of our redemption- is a mystery; so also is Faith; the process of our believing. (1Tim. 3 16e). Faith is not cheap. May you never take your salvation for granted. Ah ha! When Jesus died on the cross, He went to hell to preach the gospel. (See 1Pet.3:18-20). Did Satan repent? No. Noah preached for 120 years, no one believed him. Only his household survived the flood. Even Isaiah began to wonder if anyone really believes the gospel (see Isaiah 53::1). So if you have believed the gospel and are saved by the Lord Jesus, you are a mystery to the devil. You mesmerize him, only that you don't know it.
Another mystery that overwhelm sin is 'Preaching' (See 1 Tim 3:16d). Paul said
'Since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING to save those who believe' (1Cor. 1:21).
No wonder, the wisest man of those days, Solomon said 'He that wins souls is wise' (Proverbs 11:30).
You see, If God came in the flesh, that message ought to be preached until it is believed. If you believed, make others believe. This is the way righteousness will engulf the land. God is sending labourers to the field in droves. These are the days of His power, and volunteers of the gospel must come forth ; For '
How then shall they call on Him who they have not believed? And how shall they believed on Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?' (Rom. 10:14).
This is the season to preach the gospel 'in and out of season' 2Tim 4:2). And trust me, the labourers are here.
The Door of Righteousness is being open. It has been open since, I know. But there are everlasting gates in the nations of the earth and the hearts of men that are going to give way this year and years that follow. There are many examples of nations, tribes and people where the righteousness of God seems to be denied entry for ages. There are generations of idol worshippers, whose lineage is void of any righteousness. Such are the entries, the light of God will have this year onward. If Jesus must return soon, the gospel of the Kingdom will gain a fresh lease. (See Mat. 24:14). And the zeal of the LORD will accomplish it. He said to the devil 'I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it'. He meant every word.
1. Islam. The religion of the millennium is no doubt, Islam. This is one religion which has its history, development and amazing spread in the full glare of everyone. Judaism dates back to about 4,000 years ago; Christianity to more than 2000 years; and Islam is about 1400 years on earth. It is the fastest growing religion for a long time now and Mohammed is the most common name on earth. I love Muslims. Some of my most valuable friends are muslims. The passion and the dedication in that religion as practised by its followers is highly commendable. You just can not deny the obvious. I have tried severally to finish the Quran, and each time, I discover I am not pulled enough. Now, if that is the book that has revolutionalized the world, then there is something more. See, until Islam is de-mystified, this gospel will not even penetrate a Jew. But God has a plan, it has been unfolding. We are reaching the grand finale. The knowledge of the glory of God will fill the earth as the waters cover the seas. You who have heard the gospel and joke with it, beware. People who are hearing it for the first time are about to take it to another level. And the first shall be the last...
2. Kanuri. If you are talking Islam in Africa, you must give Kanuri a big mention. I served the nation as a National Youth Corp Member in Maiduguri, Borno State. Of course, it was the Home of Peace then, not now that it is the House of War. I had some experiences that endeared me to the Kanuris. I also did some research. Kanuri had been entrenched in Islam for more than 1000 years. They are the people who brought the religion to West Africa. And today, only as few as 20 Kanuri Christians are known. I said Twenty, not Two Hundred. Christian Missionaries have been there, of course. We are talking of 'everlasting doors' here. Okay. With God, Moses had to deliver a people 400 years old in slavery, this generation is faced with 1000 year old ideologies. The God who parted the Red Sea is here again.
Now let's get closer to this awesome door. Righteousness is a doctrine for all the religions of the world. It is simply 'doing what is right before the Supreme Being'. So the fundamental question is which religion worships the true God? I am not interested in that debate. God is One, and He is able to prove Himself. That is what the earth is about to witness. Not much effort will be needed to convince men, just watch certain gates begin to lift their heads.
Get closer now...
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