"shall see their dead bodies...their dead bodies shall be in the streets..." (Rev. 11:9,8)
"he did that which was right...but not with a perfect heart" (2 Chron. 25:2)
I am thinking I number among the Christians who would like to sound the phrase "living sacrifice" saying, "I am living for God" because I am willing to offer myself wholly to Him "for His glory," I claim piously; but I have absolutely NO INTENTION of serving Him on His conditions, on shaming myself; on doing something that makes me uncomfortable, in other words, to "die daily".
The witnesses in Revelation were called not just to live and stand and proclaim, as many of us who say we "consecrated Christians" are willing to do -- but also to be KILLED, MOCKED, SHAMED, DISRESPECTED AS CORPSES -- to be "dead bodies".
How many girls say they will serve God but demand a husband? How many men say they will go into the ministry but want to be given a pulpit and flock, salary? We can't do that. We do not bargain with God. Jesus didn't bargain for our lives; He DIED.
Creator God fashions umpteen g'zillion grains of sand and stars and human beings in as many years -- well, He originated even this thing called time outside the framework of which man cannot even think -- and can fashion the servants He needs to do His bidding, does NOT need those pitiful little creatures saying, "I'll serve You if You'll -- !"
He chooses to let us participate in His activities, not because He is abject poor and would dwindle down in any way if He "lost us" -- but because He is such a Loving, Merciful God and cannot refrain from picking us up and hugging us, saying, "Just you wait. I am going to form you into being so much better than this, you adorable little thing."
Until we reach perfection, He's arranged Jesus' blood to sign the pardon slips for all the silly offenses we make!
Yes, He will see even our dead bodies...what humans would see as disgusting, pitiful, lifeless things...and the pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His Hand. Because superimposed on those bodies will be the death of His Son Who shed His lifeblood for US!
- Unregenerate eyes will see only corpses. The God of Heaven will see corpuscles, through which His lifeblood would flow. Altho' for a few heartbeats, they would lie unmoving on the streets of a city on earth, soon even those eyes would see those corpuscles filling up again with life from heaven.
- Detour. Let me get back to the lovingkindness of our Father-God. I have been getting astounded repeatedly with His patience with us. I mean, look at Moses, who ended up being called the meekest man in the history of the world. Who would've thought that at 40 yrs. old, he would've been a cheeky Hebrew-by-blood-adopted-into-Pharaoh's-house murderer! And look at King David, named a man after God's own heart, yet at one time slept with one of his loyal subject's wives and then murdered him to cover it up! Abraham was called the friend of God, yet when he was younger once put his own wife into a dangerous situation in order to save his own skin! Peter, who was considered the pillar of the church, denied Christ 3X, and Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament Epistles, persecuted Christ in the Church!
- Don't we see, down thru' history, former "bad guys" turning around 100% and fearlessly championing the cause they were once fearful enemies of? Slave trader becoming a spokesperson for emancipation. Rebellious teens turning into pastors. Many of today's counselors battled through turbulent experiences and found resolution from bitterness into freedom and social good. Our Heavenly Father has seen all this, and He will not throw away a "bad apple" when one comes along; He has seen how they can become the best product, with work, in the future.
