The Nature Of The Testimony of Jesus

Now the testimony of Jesus is not just a declaration of the facts which are true in His case, but these lampstands on the earth, here and there and there, are the vessels, the very embodiment of that in a living way.

That is why the lamp was never to be allowed to go out in the sanctuary, but was to be trimmed night and morning that its flame might be kept clear and triumphant.

Therein is typified the embodiment of those facts which are facts in Him, and their being livingly, glowingly expressed here in the Church.

That is the testimony, and there is one word which embraces all that.

You want to know what the vanquishing of Satan is, the overcoming of the world, and the destroying of death?

There is one word which goes right to the heart of it, and it is this, life.

Life is the sum total of all Christ's being and of His work. He is the life.

He comes into the world as the life.

He is the offset in His very person to that condition which is universal, namely, death, spiritual death.

He is life. His presence is life. Everything about the Lord Jesus now is life; there is no death in Him.

In Him death is swallowed up in its entirety.

In His very person He is the fullness of that life of God which has nothing in it whatsoever that can be touched by death.

His work is that. All the work of the Lord Jesus is related to one thing, and one thing only, and that is life.

In Him life and incorruptibility have been brought to light - marvelous revelation of a thought of God!

Incorruptibility! What a world, what a universe it will be, when that is the reigning law in everything, everywhere!

Incorruptibility! Think of it!

Consider how easy it is to corrupt people nowadays, and to corrupt things, and to corrupt procedure. Consider too the result of it.

But there is coming a world, a creation, a new heaven and a new earth in which will dwell righteousness which is incorruptible. 

Incorruptible life will be the reigning law of God's new universe.

That is the effect of Christ's work. It is life; just as the sum of all Satan's being and work is death.

The presence of Satan is death. The very person of Satan is death. He is death.

I do not mean that he is an abstract thing, but he is the very embodiment and personification of death and the effect of all his work is death. 

He has brought in death. Everything that Satan touches dies. He carried with him the very breath of death.

~T. Austin Sparks~