The Body of Christ, Warfare, and the Blood

The Body of Christ, Warfare, and the Blood
3/10/06
Have you ever had one of those days where you knew you would have more faith, and more success in your battles against satan and your own flesh, if you just knew who you were in the Lord? I have had many of those days, more lately than ever. I have been waiting for an angelic visitation, dream, anything that would clue me in, for I have felt inundated by doubt. Today I got my answer, and I’m sharing it with you because it’s our answer.

The Lord said “There is a verse about the Blood you don’t know about”. I knew He was setting a lesson up, so turned as directed to Revelation 19:13. I was taken aback. Why? Because the verses from 11 – 16 describe the body of Christ, or, Jesus as come in our flesh. I have read this many times, yet this morning I found the scriptural evidence for what the Lord has been telling me; the Bride are those Christians who have Jesus manifested in their human lives. The anti-Christ says this is not possible (2 John :7). But the Christian says it is possible (1 John 4:2,3). Though many translations state “has come”, as if Jesus came in the past in His flesh, the Greek (Strong’s Concordance) says that the root word is “come”, present tense, or imperfect tense.

Looking at verses 11-16 in Rev. 19, I am reminded that Jesus wears many crowns (vs 12) which we lay at His feet (Rev. 4:10). We are His victory, and He works victory through us on this earth. Seeing His robe dipped in blood links us with our robes washed in blood (Rev. 7:14). It is this same blood that we overcome satan with (Rev. 12:11). His name is “Word of God”, and He is the Word incarnate in the flesh (Jn 1;14). We are becoming the Word in the flesh, and that is why satan assails us with doubts and fears; he doesn’t want us to have the victory of standing on God’s Word. The sword of Jesus’ mouth (vs 13) is our sword (Eph 6:17), the Spirit with the Word of God. The rod of iron (vs 15) is the authority over the nations given to the Church at Thyatira (Rev 2:27).

And of course, it’s a time of justice and war (vs 11). God is setting His plumbline in the Church to put us into true righteousness so that we won’t be caught naked with the righteousness of our own. He is setting us in the earth as saviors (Ob :21), because we are in His likeness. So our enemy opposes us, for we are called redeemers.

There are many parts of the Man depicted in Rev 19:11-16 that I don’t identify with; I don’t have eyes that blaze like fire, for one. But these inconsistencies are there for a reason; Jesus is the Head of His body. He is above us, though He resides in us. He chose to live in earthen vessels so that He could be the first among the many brethren He is redeeming from the earth. And we are part of His plan. We are a part of His body. Our life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3), yet daily we get a glimpse of that life and our new identity. I want to encourage you to take hold of that for which you were called to, and don’t let go! Amen.