There are three major fronts on which the church will be mobilizing to fight and to be the light of the world, combating the great darkness of our times. These are a basic part of our mandate as the church and there have been many victories in the past, but in recent times, much ground has been lost with each. We will not retreat any further! We will rise up to take the land—the inheritance that we have been given.

In our last study, we ended with the prophecy in Isaiah 60 that declares how at the very time deep darkness is coming upon the people, the glory of the Lord will be appearing on His people. Before we leave the situation concerning Achan, we need to make one more observation that highlights just how this contrast between the light and darkness is going to come.

As we previously covered, the Israelites did not go willingly in the baptism represented by the crossing of the Red Sea. The Lord basically had to trick them into it, giving them no other alternative because of the enemy that pursued them. However, the baptism represented by the crossing of the Jordan was a voluntary one and would begin the pursuit of their enemies to drive them from their land. This was not just because the circumstances had changed, but because the people had changed during their long sojourn in the wilderness.

Before we continue this study of the works of the flesh, I would like to remind you how these relate to our study of the biblical prophecies about the end times. Our main goal for studying the end times is to be able to accomplish our purpose in them.

As we have covered, one of the primary characteristics between those who serve the Lord, and those who serve the devil, will be distinguished by the respect for life. Jesus came to give life, and the devil comes to destroy. As we proceed toward the harvest, the full maturity of all that has been sown in man, the good and the evil, will be witnessed by the power of life and the power of death as never before,. Even so, life is stronger than death, and life will ultimately prevail. However, until the ultimate victory, death will fill the earth as never before.

In John 10:35 Jesus said, "... the Scripture cannot be broken." None of God's truths are isolated. They are all interrelated and do not stand alone: As Psalm 119:160 states it: "The sum of Thy word is truth." All of Scripture fits together in the most intricate, beautiful, harmonious pattern, just like the balance of nature in the creation. Balance is an important word if we are to understand and walk in biblical truth.

         Last week I shared how I had built a successful business while running from my calling. When the Lord finally confronted me and asked me to put my business on the altar, it quickly collapsed. This was also an answer to my prayer, though I was not expecting it to work out like that. Because of the business, I had many entanglements and obligations I asked the Lord to deliver me from so I could return to my calling. I just did not expect the answer to come that fast, but it was right. The judgments of the Lord are always right.

          In a biblical worldview, everything begins and ends with God. This is His universe, and His will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Therefore, the supreme devotion of those who serve God should be to know His will.

As more than a million people are trying to cope with being homeless, separated from loved ones, and in many, many cases, the loss of loved ones, the nation must begin to cope with issues that can either tear us apart or enable us to emerge more unified, stronger, and better than ever. To do this we must understand what happened and what did not happen. Every Christian needs to also understand why this happened.