The final victory is already assured!

Psalm 31:19 (NKJV): Oh, how great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!

The word 'goodness' here in Hebrew is 'tuwb', which means 'beauty, gladness, welfare (toward us)', from the word 'towb', that is 'to make well, to make good'. In other words, the psalmist David was declaring the greatness of God's welfare toward His beloved! And yes, He does make good His promises for you too! 

The word 'fear' here is 'yawraw' in Hebrew, which simply means 'revere'. 'To revere Him' is to humble ourselves under His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6) and to continue learning from Him (John 15:1-7). The truth is what we all know on earth (even collectively) is just a mere 'bucket' of water in the midst of His vast ocean. That's how great He is, even in His infinite wisdom. And the Bible says 'the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom' (Proverbs 9:10).

Psalm 31:20 then says, 'You (the Lord) shall hide them (the goodness of the Lord) in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man ('pride of man' in KJV). You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues'.

The word 'plots' here is translated in Hebrew as 'snares, traps, trickeries, plans, or conspiracies', from the word 'rawkas' which means 'to tie up', which is the opposite of 'to be set free'. Indeed, the plots of man 'ties us up', so that we will not be set free 'to be what God wants us to be', or 'to do what God wants us to do'. 

The word 'strife' here is translated in Hebrew as 'contest, adversary, chiding, or contention', from the word 'ruwb' which means 'to strive against, to hold a controversy, or to lay wait'. The Bible says 'the adversary walks about like a roaring lion, (laying wait) seeking whom he may devour' (1 Peter 5:8). 

But God! Psalm 31:20 says the Lord shall keep and preserve all His goodness for you (including His plans, His dreams, and His visions He has put in your heart) from such works of the enemy!

Let's look now at the life and ministry of Nehemiah as a good example of the above verses. The name 'Nehemiah' literally means 'the comfort or consolation of the Lord'. In fact, what God did through Nehemiah was actually prophetic of our 'church age' in the dispensation of God's times.

In Nehemiah's days, the Lord put in his heart to build the wall of Jerusalem. 'Wall' here speaks of 'salvation' (see Isaiah 60:18), whereas 'Jerusalem' speaks of 'God's city, or God's people'. And with the comfort of the Lord, and with much perseverance on Nehemiah's part, the 'job' was eventually completed. 

The Old Testament is the 'shadow', and the New Testament is the 'substance'. Today, in the New Testament (the 'church age'), our main call on earth (whatever your vocation or ministry may be) is likewise to build the 'wall' too, that is to 'proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day, declare His glory among the nations, and His wonders among the people' (see Psalm 96:2-3).

Notice that before the successful completion of the wall, Nehemiah had to go through several rounds of 'persecutions'. Here's the chronology of what happened:

1. Ridicule & despise (see Nehemiah 2:19)

2. Mockery & reproach (see Nehemiah 4:1-3)

3. Conspiracy & confusion (see Nehemiah 4:7-8)

4. Threats & fear tactics (see Nehemiah 6:6-9)

Likewise in the 'church age', since the days of the early apostles in the Book of Acts till now, the 'church' (as a whole) has also gone through the above rounds of 'persecutions'. I believe we are currently in the last 'epoch' of 'persecutions' (i.e. 'threats & fear tactics' of the enemy) before the full completion, and culminating in the celebration of Feast of Tabernacles (see Nehemiah 8:14-17, Zechariah 14:16), the end-time assembling and in-gathering of the 'called ones' (i.e. the believers).

Indeed, we are a generation living in the end-time! Take heart, God's people, and ‘keep running the race’ and let's not give up (or grow weary) while doing good (Galatians 6:9). As you build what God is building, and do what God is doing, He will be with you till the end (Matthew 28:18-20). Whatever spiritual gift (or gifts) He has given you (Ephesians 4:11-13, 1 Corinthians 12:4-10), use it (or use them) for the glory of the Lord! And the comfort of Yahweh is with you, just as in the days of Nehemiah! You will see 'the good work that God has begun in you, He will also bring it to full completion' (Philippians 1:6). Amen!

As you can see above, the book of Nehemiah actually speaks of the leading up (building up) towards Jesus' coming again! If chapters 1 to 6 speaks of 'the church age', then chapters 7 and 8 speaks of 'His coming again'!

Watch now what happened upon the completion of the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's days. Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, 'So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God'. 

Nehemiah 8:1-2 then says, 'Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month'.

See the words 'one man' here? This speaks of the one Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:15-16). If 'Nehemiah' speaks of 'you and I (i.e. the believers)', 'Ezra' (from the word 'Ezer' meaning 'aid, help') the priest speaks of 'our great High Priest, Jesus, who has fulfilled the Law perfectly (Matthew 5:17)'. Notice Ezra took over there on, and in turn declared to the people 'not to weep nor mourn, but to rejoice' (Nehemiah 8:9-12).

I don't know about you, but it's very comforting to know and be assured of what comes in the end, in spite of the present persecutions suffered by some of our brethren in Christ in some parts of the world, and even in the midst of 'threats and fear tactics' being plotted by the 'adversary'.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, the apostle Paul wrote, 'For the Lord (Jesus Christ) Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words'. 

The word ‘comfort’ here is ‘parakaleo’ in Greek, which means ‘to call near’. By the way, this word ‘parakaleo’ comes from two words - ‘para’ (meaning ‘near’) and ‘kaleo’ (meaning ‘calling, or call a name’). Indeed, you have a God who always calls you near to Him, and a God who knows you by name. Interestingly, this word ‘kaleo’ is the root word where the word ‘ekklesia’ (the Greek word for ‘church’, meaning ‘a calling out, or a gathering of the called ones’) comes from.

I heard these words from the Lord the other day as I was praying:

“No matter what happens, and even in the midst of chaos on earth, look to Me, lean on Me, and learn from Me. This is a time to comfort one another, not to condemn one another, put down one another, or put fear in one another.”

To ‘comfort one another’ is therefore to ‘call near to one another’, i.e. accepting one another, considering one another, encouraging one another, and exhorting one another, so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25).

People of God, wherever you are, together as one man, we’ll get the ‘job’ done, and see the ‘wall’ completed! The final victory is already assured. In Jesus’ name. Amen!