Paul ministered with a view toward that Day and leads us to have a concern for it. It is the time at the end of the age when all dominions in heaven and earth will come under the judgment and Government of the Lord Jesus Christ.

With what is presently happening on the world scene today, those of us who are believers find it easy to understand that we may be fast approaching the consummation of this age. There are those who believe that a rapture is eminent to take us away from this present world system as it moves toward a never-before-known chaos causing us to miss the time of trouble that will close out the age. There are others, however, who are of the conviction that a time of trouble will have its purpose in bringing us on toward our being prepared to share with Christ in God’s Kingdom on earth. Prophets seem to indicate this will be the purpose behind the troublesome years of this present age.

There are some who find it difficult to receive this concept. While it has been a comfort for some to believe that we shall escape the tribulation of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 24:21, it is not at all clear in Scripture that this is a correct understanding. May those who have placed their hope in an eminent rapture be stirred to consider that possibly the Scripture does not teach this. There are some passages, taken out of context, that seem to indicate a pre-tribulation rapture. Search and study as I may, I have not been able to find specific confirmation of this teaching. It seems more reasonable, however, that we bow our hearts toward wisdom and give ourselves to preparation for more than a rapture that will whisk us away from the trouble.

If I happen to be wrong, Praise God! But, I'd rather be wrong in preparing myself to face this terrible time of trouble. We must remember that our hope and salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ, not in whether we will go through the time of trouble or not.

As we have often done, we take note of the word THAT. This is from that strong little word hina in the Greek New Testament that generally indicates what Paul said he was praying.

Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, THAT your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 THAT ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till (with a view toward being ready for) the Day of Christ. 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Paul wanted to see the souls under his care prepared to stand in the Day of Christ. For this, he prayed that they might become sincere and free from anything that offends. Although praying this way called for immediate results, it looked toward the future when everything would be judged in the light of the Day of Christ.

Sincere is from the Greek eilikrinés, a word meaning, ”judged by the light of the sun.” To understand it’s meaning we should know its background. As a word, it seems to have come from the market place where vendors sold pots of baked clay. Sometimes, if a clay vessel cracked while being fired, the potter would conceal the flaw with wax. This made the vessel appear desirable, even more so than ones without a flaw. Unwise buyers were attracted to the wax covered pot. But they soon learned vessels like that were useless. So, in order to test a pot before purchase, they learned to hold it up to the light of the sun. The light would reveal the flaw. They learned to buy good pots by testing them in the sun. Thus, our word meaning “judged by the light of the sun.”

It’s interesting how our English word “sincere” came into use with this similar meaning. It comes directly from the ancient Latin word sin meaning “without,” and cere meaning “wax.” So, sincere means “without wax.” Both the Latin and the Greek words, born in the market place, came also be used with regard to persons who have been tested and found with nothing dark or dishonest hidden in their character. They describe a character with nothing to conceal, a person whose thoughts and desires can stand the light of judgment.

When the power and character of Christ’s Kingdom have been at work in a soul, producing sincerity and removing offenses, the testing in the light of the final judgment will be a time for rejoicing. Intercessors want those under their care prepared for this time.

Without offense, another term from our prayer for this month means, “being free of anything that could cause another to stumble.” Whereas sincerity deals with inward flaws, outward offence deals with outward flaws. Often, only the Holy Spirit can remove stumbling blocks. Many know they have ways that are offensive to others but feel powerless to change. Their attempt to do so only leads to frustration. It is here that praying people help.  

Philippians 1:9 And it is my prayer THAT your love may be more and more accompanied by ¹⁾ clear knowledge and keen perception, for ²⁾ testing things that differ,

10 so THAT you may be men of ³⁾ transparent character, and may be ⁴⁾ blameless, in preparation for the Day of Christ,

11 being filled with these fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ— to the glory and praise of God.

See these four points of “Kingdom Preparation”

FIRST, there must be that kind of Love in us that comes from the heart of God. We must open ourselves to a kind of Love that is accompanied by clear knowledge and keen perception. This Love, unlike the love born in our bosom out of human feeling, will be a love that can see clearly through matters with a keen perception that discerns what is right and what is wrong. How we need to learn to hold our loved ones before the Lord for this Love to find its release in them! This is so they will not be caught in traps that make them unable to discern between lust and true Love.

SECOND, we must become proficient in our ability for testing things that differ. This ability to put a matter to the test can best be devised in us by the Spirit of God. As He works in us, He will enable us to determine what is right and what is not right, so we can live with a love of the highest order directing our lives. Some have called this “tough love.” It is a love that can remain strong in us while saying “no” to those we love. Paul made a clear statement along this line in Romans 12:1,2—

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (which is your rational servitude for God’s Kingdom). And be not conformed to this world (be not fashioned in accordance with this age): but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (but undergo a spiritual transformation by the renovation of the way you understand matters), that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (that you may be able to put things to the test and discern what is good and well pleasing; so you can know the higher and more excellent desire of God for your life).

THIRD, we must become persons of transparent character. Paul realized that we who have given our lives to the Lord for the service of His Kingdom must train ourselves for excellence in this service. Those who are spiritual sluggards will know little of His Kingdom. There will be little good fruit coming from their lives. See in Acts 24:16 what Paul said about his own discipline after he had come to know the Lord, having lived before as an antagonist of Christ. And herein do I exercise myself (In this matter I am giving myself to a disciplined training), to have always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men (so that the inward moral impression I have of myself will contain nothing against the moral rule of God’s Kingdom).

He expressed this further in I Corinthians 9:27.

In the larger passage, Weymouth presents a compelling insight into Paul’s own disciplined life. This is something we, as spiritual leaders, cannot impose on others. But we can pray that the goal of those under our care might be that they excel for Christ’s Kingdom, with those who have gone before as examples.

FOURTH, we must have it as our goal to arrive blameless in the Day of Christ. This leads us to a matter exceedingly vast, awesome, exciting and compelling for our spirits to pursue It is in fact too great a subject for us to cover in this brief article. We will follow on, however, with prophetic references that point to this Day in the “prayer starter” section of this booklet.

Saints

Daniel 7:18—But the SAINTS (holy ones) of the most High shall take the Kingdom, and possess the Kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Daniel 7:21,22—I beheld, and the same horn (the little horn) made war with the SAINTS, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the SAINTS of the most High; and the time came that the SAINTS possessed the kingdom.

Daniel 7:25-27—And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the SAINTS of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the SAINTS of the most High, Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.

The above reference to “the little horn” is a reference to the anti-Christ. Throughout his prophecies, Daniel makes reference to him by other terms, such as a vile person, a king of fierce countenance, the prince that shall come, etc. Nowhere do any of the Prophets call him “anti-Christ.” We can discern his work, however, in Scriptures that reach from Genesis 3, where we see him as the seed of the serpent, till we meet him as the beast in Revelations 13.

Only John makes reference to this antagonist of Christ as the anti-Christ. (I John 2:18; 2:22; 4:3 and II John 1:7)

As we have often said, since he cannot reach Jesus Himself, it will be his design to lay hold on whatever ground he can find in us that belongs in his own realm. When he finds any of his ground in us, he will use all his power to lay hold on it and wear us out.

Both Jesus and Paul are clear in telling us that many tendencies and practices of the flesh will give anti-Christ spirits access to us. With legal right, they will lay hold on these tendencies and use them to shake us to pieces and leave us like limp rags by the side of the road. They will do this while saints march on to victory in the Name and authority of Christ Jesus.

Let us take a closer look at what Paul said will disqualify us for an inheritance in God’s Kingdom. He made similar statements in I Corinthians 6:9,10; Galatians 5:19-21 and Ephesians 5:5. It is to the Galatians passage that we go for an up-close look. In verses 19-21 we take note of the qualities of character—qualities of bad character, that is—that will prohibit us from inheriting the Kingdom of God. The works of the flesh that Paul names here can give the anti-Christ a hold on us by which he can wear us out. Only fruit grown in our lives by the Holy Spirit can withstand him.

Galatians 5:

See this down to earth translation from the Message:

19-21 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

22-23 But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

In I Corinthians 5:1 we find Paul having so much concern after receiving reports

See verses 4 and 5 here as interpreted in The Message:

Assemble the community—I'll be present in spirit with you and our Master Jesus will be present in power. Hold this man's conduct up to public scrutiny. Let him defend it if he can! But if he can't, then out with him! It will be totally devastating to him, of course, and embarrassing to you. But better devastation and embarrassment than damnation. You want him on his feet and forgiven before the Master on the Day of Judgment.

This is an extremely delicate matter into which we should seldom enter and only with the covering and deep concern of mature elders. But better devastation and embarrassment than damnation. The concern Paul had was for how a person would come on the Day of Judgment.

In Philippians 1:6 we see the confidence Paul had regarding the believers to whom he had ministered. …Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: He was certain the work begun in them under his ministry would continue until the Day of Jesus Christ.

In I Thessalonians 5:2-11 we find that the Day of the Lord will come suddenly, cutting short any possibility of further preparation for it. But those who have learned to walk in the light with nothing hidden, and who have learned to remain spiritually alert, should have no fear in that Day. As we learn to take on the care of others in prayer we take a concern for their eternal condition.

II Thessalonians 2:1-12 is a very serious and important passage regarding the Day of Christ. It is a time yet future, greatly anticipated by the one Paul calls that man of sin. It will be a time when sin comes to its fullness with a satanic bid for the high position of Christ. The Day will come to its bright completion when the Lord Jesus returns with a glory that puts down the one spawned out of Satan’s realm. Intercessors help prepare believers for this Day.

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