Johan Malan, Mossel Bay, South Africa (September 2014)
“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Rev. 22:11-12).
Many Christians are praying fervently for revival and the spiritual growth of believers so that more of the Lord may be seen in our lives, in our churches, and also in society at large. In Revelation 22:11-12, the Lord Jesus gives us an indication that during the period preceding His second coming there will indeed be a movement towards more holiness, but at the same time there will be increased apostatising and wickedness in the world. This spiritual and moral polarisation is now occurring in a much more explicit way than before: apostasy takes on extreme proportions, while the spiritual standard of holiness among the small minority of committed children of the Lord is constantly raised.
According to the Bible, these two opposite groups will each develop towards their uttermost objectives, which on the one hand will be the appearing of the true Christ to His faithful disciples, and on the other hand the appearing of the Antichrist to the deceived masses who have been waiting for a leader such as him. We are therefore faced with a highly polarised situation between light and darkness, or truth and error. The Lord Jesus is the Light of the world, and for that reason His disciples who follow in His footsteps are on a way of increased righteousness and holiness – that is the narrow way; and at the end of this path we will appear before Him in glory. The devil heads up the kingdom of darkness, and he is busy deceiving humanity to follow a false Christ, the Antichrist. They are on the broad way of unrighteousness and sin, and at the end of this road the Antichrist will gain authority over fallen humanity (Rev. 13:7).
These two roads became an obvious reality in the world after the first coming of Jesus Christ. Before that time, the darkness of sin and unrighteousness prevailed all over the world, except for a small group of believing Israelites. But then the Lamb of God came to atone for the sins of all people, after which He commissioned His disciples to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sin in the entire world (Luke 24:46-47). People were challenged to cross over from their sinful past into the marvellous light of Christ.
In all societies where the gospel was preached, it gave rise to a polarisation between light and darkness, i.e. between Christians and the unsaved millions. Paul said to believers in Ephesus: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). To be able to do so they had to take a strong stand against the works of darkness and express themselves unambiguously against it: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Eph. 5:11). This opposition causes a great deal of antagonism between children of the light and children of darkness, as there can be no fellowship between Christ and the idols (2 Cor. 6:14-18).
As the light increased, opposition from the forces of darkness became more intense. The Great Commission to all nations has been carried out during the course of many centuries, and at this present stage the two roads of light and darkness have been established in virtually all societies on earth. However, the broad way still draws most people, and as sin increases in intensity, the pressure on Christians also increases – in certain countries much more than in others. But the Lord gives us more grace to persevere and keep on making progress on the way of holiness despite the pressure on us: “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom. 5:20).
Being faced with aggravating attacks on our spiritual lives in the end-time, is an incentive for stronger perseverance on the way of more righteousness and holiness. If we do not practise greater dedication and vigilance we will slowly but surely become cold spiritually and start backsliding. In His Olivet Discourse, the Lord Jesus refers to increased evil in the end-time world, and warns lukewarm and compromising Christians as follows: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12; NIV). There is no room for carnal and uncommitted believers. They will have to engage in serious soul-searching and recommit themselves to the Lord if they wish to remain spiritually standing during these perilous times.
The most important incentive for increased holiness however, is to be found blameless when we appear before the heavenly Bridegroom. Peter says: “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness …? … [B]e diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless” (2 Pet. 3:11, 14). Paul prays for a similar blessing to the Thessalonians: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23). Complete holiness pertinently refers to higher levels of spiritual maturity to which we should aspire in our relationship with Christ, as that would ensure that we will not need to be ashamed on the day of His second coming.
In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus also refers to the spiritual worthiness wrought by sanctification: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). He does not say that we should simply believe without giving further attention to our relationship with Him; no, we should be watchful for attacks by the enemy, and also for spiritual deception, while being vigilant with a view to extended periods of prayer: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41). In this way we will ensure that we do not, like the foolish virgins, fall asleep at a critical moment, being oblivious of the fact that we have very little of the oil of the Holy Spirit in our lamps. We are convincingly commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).
Furthermore, increased justness and holiness are also in the interest of the quality of our service as disciples of Jesus. His emphasis of these virtues in Revelation 22 are directly related to our appearance before His judgement seat to give account of our lives as disciples: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Rev. 22:12). In a parable, Jesus says that He gives every disciple a mina, which refers to the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. Some of the disciples put it to use and earned ten minas, others earned five, and yet others will stand before Him empty-handed – saved yet so as through fire (cf. Luke 19:12-24; 1 Cor. 13:15). We should not be content with minimum standards in our spiritual life but pursue more holiness and increased fruitfulness. There is the potential of producing fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold or even hundredfold after the seed of the Word has been sown in our hearts (Matt. 13:23). Does your life yield any fruit and will you be able, with boldness, to give account of your duty as a witness for Christ?
As far as the sinners and their evil works are concerned, there is an increase of apostasy which is building up to the point where they will fully embrace the Antichrist. The world is in an advanced stage of spiritual and moral decline, as evidenced by the fact that the satanic doctrine of a multireligious messiah for all faiths is taking root everywhere, also among deceived Christians: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). These people expose themselves to false doctrines, and in the process many of them depart from the true faith.
Paul says the following on the approaching Day of the Lord: “… that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4). When the world has been conditioned through spiritual deception to receive Satan’s man of sin as world messiah in the place of Christ, the end of the church dispensation will soon draw to a close, after which the deceived masses will be surrendered to the power of this impostor. They will spontaneously accept and worship him: “And all the world marvelled and followed the beast … and they worshipped the beast” (Rev. 13:3-4).
The final point in the polarisation between light and darkness will be reached when Christ returns to the earth at the end of the great tribulation to judge the Antichrist and his powers. John says: “I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army” (Rev. 19:19). This confrontation will give rise to the battle of Armageddon, in which the Antichrist and his powers will be destroyed. Christ’s kingdom of light will then be established on earth without any further resistance from the opposing kingdom of darkness.
This point has not yet been reached, which means that we are still in the heat of the battle. It is imperative to be spiritually equipped for that which lies ahead, and to this end there are a few pertinent questions which should be asked to every believer: “How intimate is your relationship with the Lord Jesus? How do you acquit yourself of your responsibilities during the increased polarisation between light and darkness? Are you a withholder of the Antichrist and are you still fighting the good fight of faith against the rising tide of deception? Do you seriously consider sanctification and are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Do you earnestly expect Christ’s coming and are you ready for it?” If you are ready and well prepared, you will not appear empty-handed before Him but be counted worthy to be a co-heir of His everlasting kingdom.
There is much at stake in our spiritual life, but our highest objective should always be the honour of the Lord and the expansion of His kingdom. If we follow the way of the cross, and are prepared to suffer with Christ in the continued struggle against an apostate world, we will not only experience the peace of God in our hearts which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7), but one day we will also share in His unspeakable glory. We have every reason to stand firm in the Lord and to ensure that we do not end up in the ranks of those whose love has grown cold because of the increase in wickedness. Those whose dedication is diminishing have underestimated the stronger polarisation between light and darkness, and will pay a high price for their lack of commitment and perseverance.
We should persevere on the narrow way to the end, and take care not to be spiritually impoverished by the enemy of our souls. The Lord Jesus encourages us to be firmly committed while expecting His imminent second coming: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” (Rev. 3:11). He also urges members of another congregation to be faithful to the end: “But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” (Rev. 2:25-26). It is His desire that all His disciples will be among the overcomers.