The Enemy of Our Souls

The reconciliation of all things is such a deep truth to comprehend. It’s good news that God will judge and redeem all as the fulfillment of His eternal plan and purpose! He does not have a plan to sentence some to hell. Hell is endless torment and punishment, with no way of escape. An eternal hell of everlasting judgment that would accomplish no redemption, only punishment. This understanding of hell cannot lead anyone back to fellowship with the holy Presence of our Lord.

Further, an eternal hell denies that God is the changer of even the most evil and despicable hearts. God will not fail to change the hearts of billions who are all destined to be judged by Him. He has determined to do so. Yes, it is true that those who are not with Him at the time of His coming will be “thrown into the lake of fire”. But what does this really mean? Since our God is a consuming fire, the dreaded “lake of fire” is the purging of all who have not come to him to be changed before this.

It is none other than the fiery presence of God’s kingdom priests, those who minister the word of reconciliation for this time. Now we can understand a much different outcome when God’s redemptive justice is seen. God is throwing all sinners, all who fall short of His righteous standards, into the cleansing, purifying Word of God to change them. God does not suddenly, at the end of time, lose His ability to reconcile, to bring back all to Him. God will have His day of judgment and we all are held accountable. He is very clear that no flesh will be allowed in His Kingdom. But for what purpose?

All of us found lacking the spiritual qualities to meet God’s standards of mercy and justice. All of us need God’s consuming fire to burn up our dross. We will all be truly changed, clothed in righteous garments, with our flesh swallowed up in His victory. So shall we be forever with the Lord and His saints! You see, being cast into the lake of fire is a necessity! It is a redemptive process, justified when an unbeliever dies. This is good news that isn’t reserved only for sinful unbelievers!

“ Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 NIV

Aha! Fiery trials are allowed by God. He is in control over our enemy! Our wise Father created the adversary to destroy. He was a devil from the beginning, not a fallen angel who has gathered his troops to war with Jesus. Did not Jesus defeat this enemy on the cross? Though this truth is not popular or widely accepted, it is nonetheless based upon sound doctrine.

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” 1 John 3:8-9 KJV

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, it is time for this truth to no longer be hidden from God’s precious saints. It is time for Jesus Christ and His army of saints to reap the earth for God’s kingdom. Some prefer to reject the idea that our loving God allows the adversary to work against us in even horrific, evil ways. Many avoid, if not reject, the book of Job that illustrates God allowing satan to come against a righteous man of God. But through unimaginable loss and destruction, Job learns Who God is and who he, a mortal man, is not.

This aspect of our merciful, compassionate Lord is not easy to understand or accept. His ways are not ours. Our God is a God of contrasts, knowing we need the darkness to see His light. His plan from the beginning has been to use the enemy to test and refine us. That’s the job of the enemy of our souls and he does it well. Never has God lost control of His servant, the devil. Victory for all men is sure:

“‘Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,’ says the LORD.” Isaiah 54:16-17 NKJV

Satan, the blacksmith, increases the strength of the fiery trials we walk through and endure on this earth. As we mature, such trials are more and more like the suffering of Jesus—undeserved, unfair, even cruel. Just as satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he puts his thoughts into our minds and hearts, particularly during the inevitable times of adversity in living on the earth. He is God’s instrument, this enemy of our soul, operating in the fleshly realm of our mind, our will, and our emotions.

Jesus Christ conquers satan within us, over and over, bringing His victory to triumph over every fleshly thought, desire, and emotion that satan is working to plant and increase in us. While weapons are formed against us, His servants, they will never prosper. He promises this! Earlier verses leading to the above passages provide further context to show that, rather than destroying His creation, God makes a new earth in us:

“To me, this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:9-10 NIV

God swore that He would never again be angry with humans nor rebuke them as in the days of Noah. Think of it! This is the heritage of the promises given to Abraham. He will have compassion on us for good. He promised not to again destroy the earth, giving us a sign of this promise in every rainbow in the sky.

“Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

And whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of every kind that is on the earth.’ So God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and every creature on the earth.’” Genesis 9:14-16 Berean

God recalls His promise through the rainbow, just as it is a sign to us of His promise never to destroy the earth and all living here. A rainbow is made by a multicoloured arc of light striking water droplets, most commonly when sunlight strikes raindrops at a precise angle. The colors on a primary rainbow are always in order of their wavelength, from longest to shortest: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet (National Geographic, paraphrased.) Amazing, isn’t it?!

God is light and there is no darkness in Him. Who is more precise than our God, the Son from whom we receive light? The rainbow is an eternal promise of restoration, assuring us God will not destroy people nor any living creature on the earth again. God is a destroyer of sin and death, but not of the creation He made. He loves His creation, this world, so much that He redeemed it through the great and wonderful sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mountains are being shaken, and all those high places where humans are dwelling that are not established by God will come down. Hilly places where the path is more difficult are removed from our walk. His unfailing love is not shown in spite of these shakings but through them all. He is the One we cling to as He brings these shakings in and around us.

The shaking of all things that can be shaken on this earth is His work in us and others. The apostle James tells us further to count it all joy when trials come upon us, because of the new growth, the new heaven and new earth that comes from it. This surely makes the Lord’s own distinctly different from others in this world with its increasing upheavals:

“Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].

And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 Amplified

We are assured that our many trials are for the testing and refinement of our faith, to perfect us. Many are experiencing this purging as we draw near to Him in this life. He is always coming to us, His temple, dwelling within, where He is building the Kingdom. We are to be clothed with His glory to be revealed in us, His saints. The only way we can consider all our trials with a joyful heart is to know that God is strengthening our faith, producing endurance, through them all.

Endurance is based upon a Greek word that means to “stay; abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand” (Strong’s Concordance). We abide and remain in God and He in us as He works. He develops His precious qualities of gold and silver into our nature, the very inner being of His servants. We are to be transparent like Him, a pure light in the darkness of this world.

“You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 Berean

There is to be no “spot or wrinkle” in His holy people to be seen for all eternity. Good deeds led by God from a pure heart of love and faith are indeed seen by others. This promise is for those who overcome the flesh, obedient unto death to self. The dying man or woman who has walked with the Lord intimately for many years passes easily through the thin veil between flesh and spirit to come into the presence of the Lord.

But those who are deathbed confessors are naked before God. They have not been clothed with the Christ when passing from this life. How can they be? They have just met Him! This person is facing God, still needing Him to refine them. It may take ages before the billions who did not know the Lord in this life are awakened to be further changed and clothed with righteousness. God has a lot of work for His saints yet to do that has never been done, that could not be done until this Day of the Lord.

Now is the time to pray for reapers of His harvest of the fruit of the Spirit:

“…His disciples came to Him saying, ‘Explain [clearly] to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and [as for] the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend [those things by which people are led into sin], and all who practice evil [leading others into sin], and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].

Then the righteous, [those who seek the will of God] will shine forth [radiating the new life] like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears [to hear], let him hear and heed My words.” Matthew 13:36-43 Amplified

God’s harvest is the nature and character of all souls becoming Christ-like. He sends His angels, messengers of God’s word, to do this reaping. All seed sown in the earth of our hearts grows a crop. God has allowed these two crops, from the good seed of the kingdom and from the evil one, to grow together until the end of the age. Then the weeds from the evil one are gathered up and burned in the fire of His presence brought by His angels, messengers who bring tidings of great joy.

So, it is the crop of weeds, the fruit, so to speak, of the flesh, that must be destroyed, because no flesh can enter in to His kingdom. It is not the destruction of the earth or of our being in which it was planted. Our being is the holy temple of God. He came to save the world, not destroy it. His messengers are sent to gather the crop from His good seed in our earth. He is reaping the fruit of His kingdom, which is in those of us who believe and serve our Lord.

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 2 Corinthians 6:16 Berean

So, what do we do with fruit that has been reaped? Why, we eat it! We all know that the very best, tastiest, most nourishing fruit is picked off the vine and consumed immediately. So too is the fruit of God’s word to be given as a feast of nourishment for others. As we abide in the Vine, others are able to eat the nourishing fruit of His spirit, the love, peace, and joy within us. He has planted His seed and it is growing a spiritual crop that become His harvest.

When the light of His countenance shines with purity from His holy and refined people, others will see Him. We are on that path and long for its completion within us. This work is done by holy, righteous people, prepared by God and joined in spiritual Zion. It is done in the rest of the Lord, by the spirit of a purified, united people with no guile. Think of it!

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away (vanished), and there is no longer any sea.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, arrayed like a bride adorned for her husband; and then I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,

‘See! The tabernacle of God is among men, and He will live among them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them [as their God,] and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death; there will no longer be sorrow and anguish, or crying, or pain; for the former order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4 Berean

What heavenly words of promise! All of our former dwelling places, on earth and in those spiritual heavens we’ve known, pass away. So does the sea, that sea of unbelief, all the “waters of people” of the world who do not know Him. John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. He comes down to dwell within us, not to a geographical place to which we can point. His kingdom comes without scrutiny, as Jesus said when He told others the kingdom was right there, in Him.

He is raising us up to dwell with Him by spirit. God then plans to establish His holy habitation in the spirit from spiritual Zion where He rules. He wipes away tears on this earth, for there are no tears in heaven! This place of the throne of Jesus Christ and Father God is finally brought to dwell among us, the place where His departed sons and daughters, martyrs and leaders of the faith, are already spiritually foundwhile they await our perfection:

“These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:39-40 Berean

In this well-known faith chapter of the Bible, the writer of Hebrews lists many of God’s saints who were commended for their faith. What a powerful, diverse list it is! God’s plan has been to withhold what was promised to these precious saints until we who remain on the earth, having this same calling of faith, are made perfect. One is not to proceed without the other. How they have longed to see the fulfillment of this most precious promise, from Abraham to the revelation of John.

No wonder the saints dwelling in spiritual Zion, our homeland, are cheering us on in this day and hour. Dare we believe that now is the time? God does reveal His times and seasons to those who love Him. Many of God’s people, from various walks of faith and regardless of differing doctrines, believe that the Day of the Lord is upon us. We welcome it and are surely in desperate need of it. Only God can repair, heal, and restore the conditions we now have on this earth.

God grants marvelous and powerful revelatory understanding of these important scriptures for this day. My heart fills with gratitude and appreciation to the many ministers of the Gospel, past and present, who faithfully taught such truths as the reconciliation of all men and the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. This most especially includes Sis. Maxine Plowman, my spiritual mother in the Lord, Pastor of Gospel Center, Bro. Sears Westlake of Vine Street Gospel Chapel, and Bro. J. Preston Eby of Kingdom Bible Studies. They are now all on the other side but the life of their ministries lives on in those of us who were privileged to learn from them.

Most of all, love and gratitude to my husband, Rich Mikelson, for his teachings and revelatory wisdom shared through his Feast of Tabernacles messages as well as in our life together. What a privilege to walk together in God!

Please check their ministries out if my few writings about the message of reconciliation lead to a hunger to learn more. May God bless and increase the fruit of the spirit in your hearts, preparing you for the great reaping to come!