May 16: The Last Enemy

And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. Revelation 11:5

There are numerous former unbelievers of our modern day who were converted into disciples of Christ after entering an honest quest to disprove the Bible, the two witnesses of Revelation 11. The key word here is honest. Instead of finding fault and dismantling the Word, they found it to be impeccably true, even down to the finest of details. But the greatest result by far is the revelation of their Savior . . . and the enemies of God that had resided within them were devoured!

Lest anyone begin to think that he or she has “arrived”, Paul reminds us: “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). This is the state of affairs in a fallen world. Until all enemies are put under His feet (v.25), we are in hand-to-hand combat. The real warrior is Christ Jesus Himself, who takes personal responsibility for our sanctification. Yet we must allow Him onto the scene of our battle—He is The Word of God, after all (John 1:1, Revelation 19:13).

In the Christian life, we are on a journey of encountering challenges to the truths of the written word, a ‘love letter’ that is both a consuming fire, and a double-edged sword (Hebrews 12:29, 4:12). In the process of being made fit for heaven, there are still battles to fight. We are in a war! Thankfully, a glorious Day is fast approaching when there will be no longer a need to die daily, for we will—through the daily choices to follow Jesus we have made—be in full, harmonious, irrevocable harmony with the will of His heavenly Father! Paul reminds us: The last enemy that will be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26).

The law concerning witnesses is practiced in civil courts as practical and fair: Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Deuteronomy 17:6 (*more examples, both civil and religious below)

There is a powerful dimension in a plurality of witnesses. As I read the Bible, the Holy Spirit testifies to my spirit that His word is true and reliable. The Holy Spirit is often symbolized as fire! Beloved, pray that the fire of the Spirit of God will “burn up” anything in your life and mine that doesn’t belong in the life of a faithful and true witness. Darkness cannot remain in the presence of light.

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20

*Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19, Hebrews 10:28