The term “the Greatest Generation” was given to the men and women who lived at the time of World War 2. They gave of themselves for the sake of freedom by liberating millions who were under tyranny in both Europe and the Pacific. Thousands made the supreme sacrifice in giving their lives in both theaters of war. However as incredible as that generation was, I believe that there is a greater generation that will rise up soon that will live and operate with the same desperation for the sake of the Kingdom of God. It has been prepared for and paid by the blood of the millions of martyrs who have given their lives for the Kingdom over the past millennia. We must and cannot fail!
We have the opportunity to become a new breed of believer that is about to a appear upon the earth; a people who know their identity in Christ and know the power of God living within. This people group is not ethnic in nature but find their origin in the Spirit. They will become as powerful spiritually as anything that was seen in the early church.
The Apostle John refers to this church in the letter to Thyatira in Revelation 2
“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,27 and he will rule[c] them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Over the last 33 years, Cheryl and I have battled with the Jezebel spirit repeatedly. Each time the Lord has enabled us to be victorious. Thus, that promise to rule with Jesus is for Cornerstone.
While the majority of the church is waiting for the rapture, this warrior remnant, who have been hidden for centuries will silently rise and begin to rule the nations with a rod of iron with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I believe this is the message behind Romans 8:19.
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
Their weapons will not be in the natural but in the Spirit according to 2 Corinthians 10:4
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Loving obedience, oneness and prayer will be the three-braided cord that cannot be broken and will literally tear down strongholds over nations and open portals of divine power and influence in the nations.
What about Israel? Did the church as we know it replace Israel? I read this paragraph online today which I believe best sums up the relationship between Israel and the church.
“Replacement” is my least favorite term for this theology because it downplays the continuity of God’s redemptive plan, also kind of sounds unnecessarily combative (pits Jew and gentile against one another).
God has always sought the redemption of his people. In the OT, that often (but not always!) looked like ethnic Israel. But there were people outside of ethnic Israel who were also God-fearing, and there were provisions for those outside ethnic Israel to join the Jewish faith in the OT. Further, Paul reminds us that not everyone who is ethnic Israel are actually the “true” Israel.
Taken this way, it’s easy to draw a line of redemptive continuity through the NT where God is continuing to redeem his people, but through the cross we have multi-ethnic “true” Israel in the followers of Jesus. Most (if not all) of the OT prophets talk about this multi-ethnic Israel or redeeming of the nations.
Now, will ethnic Israel play a role in the end-times? Possibly. At the very least, the Bible seems to strongly and unambiguously suggest there will be a resurgence of ethnic Israel following Jesus (though what this exactly will look like is unquantifiable and may be taking place now through an exponential rise in messianic Judaism.)
The biggest breakdown in this argument is that western evangelicalism too often tries to shoehorn the modern nation state of Israel into discussions of supercessionism (replacement theology), and the ideas have absolutely nothing to do with each other.”
The true church does not separate Israel and church into separate groups. Ethnicity aside, we are one new spiritual man according to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:11-16
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
Remember the words of Jesus when the disciples asked Him in Acts 1 when He was going to restore the Kingdom to Israel. We read His response in Acts 1:4-8
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Stop trying to figure out what God is going to do in His time and engage in what He has already said, becoming a follower of His and enter into battle to destroy strongholds over the nations.
The term “witness” is loaded with meaning. It is the Greek words “martus” where the term ‘Martyr” comes from. It means one who not only tells what they have seen 1 John 1:1-3 , John 1:14;
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
But also men and women, true believers whose words are accompanied with power according to Acts 2:42-44 (ESV)
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
The final idea of “martus” are those whose lives are not their own but completely given over to the Master, Jesus Christ. All of His disciples were met with violent deaths except for the Apostle John who lived a long life only after being boiled in oil, with no effect and then being exiled on the Isle of Patmos.
This is “the city on a hill”, the city whose builder is the Lord that all those who lived before us were after but died without receiving it. They passed it on to us. We must not fail in this understanding or fail to receive the mandate which all those patriarchs who lived before up gave us. We must die to ourselves to become the greatest generation the world has ever seen to the glory of God. Revelation 12:11
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.