Summer 1975
The Time to Possess
Theodore Burch
Instructor at Pinecrest

Over twenty-five hundred years ago, the Holy Spirit spoke through one of His yielded vessels, “the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever” (Daniel 7:18). In this crucial hour for the Church—the body of Christ—the importance of discerning the voice of God cannot be overemphasized.

The fact that God will have an overcoming body of believers on this earth is not to be disputed, for the prophet Daniel goes on to say, “the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (Daniel 7:22). However, there is a challenge and a degree of responsibility laid before us to assure our participation in the Lord’s fully-manifested kingdom. The important lesson we must learn is that of timing. Like a perfectly tuned Swiss watch, the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit in the true Church will bring forth an harmonious and united people.

The scripture speaks of the Lord Jesus, “When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son…that we (the saints) might receive the placement as sons: (Galatians 4:4-5, Greek). Thus, it is evident that God’s divine timing—so essential to the birth and earthly ministry of our Lord—is linked to God’s people entering His best and possessing the kingdom in these last days.

By the grace of God, we too can be enabled to testify, “He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned (the disciple). The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious” (Isaiah 50:4-5). By such an understanding of the voice and timing of God, Jesus could declare to His unbelieving brethren, “My time is not yet come” (John 7:6). Likewise, He could pray confidently on the eve of the Passover, “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify Thee” (John 17:1).

May we continue to seek God’s face, that we may enter a higher realm of guidance—not settling for man’s counsel only, but a desire to be guided by His eye (Psalm 32:8). As we realize the bankruptcy of the old nature and its approach to spiritual matters, the New Creation within us can arise, causing us to know God’s timing and to “possess that thing for which I was also possessed by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12, Greek). Hallelujah!