The end of America as we know it is near. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. We are at the place where we will return to the remarkable and wise foundations on which the nation was built, or we will cease to be a Republic at all. Which it will be will likely be determined in 2012.

         Last week we began to address how “Jacob’s Ladder” is Jesus Himself, as we see in John 1:47-50. We are called to be the messengers who ascend on Him into the heavenly realm. The rungs on this Ladder are the progressive revelations of who Jesus is. We go up as we see Him as our Savior. We go higher as we come to know Him as our Lord.

         This week we continue our study of Revelation 1:10:

    “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day….”

         Understanding what it meant for John to be “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” is the beginning of the revelation of an important theme of prophecy in Scripture—“the day of the Lord.”

        We discussed how we are changed by seeing the Lord’s glory in His ministries and gifts, but there are overall aspects of His nature that reveal His glory, and as we behold them we are likewise changed by them. The biggest of these is His love. The others are His peace, patience, faithfulness, and all that makes up the fruit of the Spirit. So to grow in wisdom and stature as He did, we must be growing in both the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit.

We have been considering how the kingdom economy is based on love and examining how the love defined in I Corinthians13 would affect our trade in a kingdom economy. Last week we discussed how love “does not brag” (see I Corinthians 13:4), and how that might affect our advertising or marketing. Next, we are told that love “is not arrogant” (see I Corinthians 13:4). Could we possibly have the best products or be the best at something without becoming arrogant?

Last week we discussed one of the primary ways that the church confronts darkness, which is through illumination or education. This is a basic way that we are called to be “the light of the world.” Now that the church in America thinks there is little chance to have righteous laws passed on some basic moral issues, we are now confronted with a state that most of the church worldwide has always existed in—we must use the power of prophetic proclamation of the truth.

After the incredible and miraculous victory over Jericho, Achan's sin had caused a defeat for the entire nation of Israel before the tiny little village of Ai. Without question, this shook their confidence. If any pride had entered the camp after Jericho, it was dispelled at Ai. They were again made aware of the total dependence on the Lord for victory and their total obedience to His instructions. They would not win by their own might and power, but by His Spirit. There were other similar lessons about this that they would learn during their conquest of the land.