And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. (Ezr 9:8-9)

We know that a person’s worldview affects most of their opinions, it is through this prism that their thoughts and actions are affected. So, how you view the world then greatly determines how you live your life. If you were to look at Christendom today, Christendom meaning everything that calls itself by the name of Jesus, what do you see? Do you see something healthy and prosperous? Do you see something that has largely remained the same for centuries but is simply facing and adjusting to the modern world? Do you see the status quo? Or do you see something that is in total ruins, something all but dead but at the least, dying?

How you answered that question will determine how you live and what you make of events that are shaping our world. Are we free or are we in bondage? Is Christ almost at the door or is His return something in the far away future? Do you even truly believe that Christ is returning for His Bride? If you see Christendom in ruins and believe that Christ is at the door, then can I suggest that you are living your life radically different from someone who does not see much of a problem in the land of Christendom and that if Christ is even returning physically, then it is a far off event.

In Ezra’s time, God had called a people to come home, He had called a people to return to a place of worship and repair broken down walls. He was reviving a remnant in the midst of a very hostile world. In fact often times they would have a trowel in one hand and sword in the other as they re-built the wall. These were the ones who eyes had been enlightened by God in the midst of their bondage. Yet, it was vitally important for the remnant not to mix with the world so to speak. They were giving their children in marriage to the children of the world. In a sense they were selling their birthright to a pagan world by expressly disobeying the clear commands of God. To be separate from the world, to come out of the world was a clear directive from God. They had come out of Babylon and yet they were hurting themselves by mixing and intermarrying with the pagans of the surrounding lands.

God is calling out a remnant today, He is calling them out of the world and back to a place where they can repair the breach, build up the wall again of Jerusalem so to speak. My own worldview or churchview is that the church lies in ruins, its walls are broken down and it is in a place of desolation. The world has invaded the church and the church has given its children to the world in marriage. The consequences have been devastating.The influence of the world in the church is now so strong that what passes for the church, Christendom can no longer hold back the influence of the world. It is in the process of giving itself fully over to the world. And so God enlightens the eyes of His people to see the situation through His eyes. Burning at the heart of His called out people is obedience to Him and to His word. They are sold out to His word and His commands even although by doing so they are ostracized and ridiculed and hated.

How else can the walls be reestablished? God is calling His people out of the world and is calling for His people to take the world out of their hearts. When they do this they are rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem the place of true worship, not the physical Jerusalem but the Jerusalem of the heart. This wall will be vital in the coming days of persecution. It is this wall that will keep the enemy at bay. Behind these walls God’s people will find safety and security. This is the nail or the peg that God has established, a place of security in the midst of the storm.

The original church had such a wall. Even although the Apostles were killed one by one, they were all secure behind this wall. A place of strength and security. Stephen knelt behind this wall as he was stoned to death and cried out to God not to hold this charge against them. The martyrs in the arena knelt behind this wall even as the lions descended upon them and they lifted up their hands and prayed to God. The saints that were burned at the stake knelt behind this wall even as the flames licked about their mortal bodies but their spirits sang out in freedom and security. Gods remnant saints are rebuilding this wall and they too will kneel behind it even as the world turns on them and comes after them with a ferocity never before seen. God Himself is a wall of fire that surrounds His children and it consumes the flesh of men. What can the world do to us? They can burn our bodies with fire, they can stone us and they can remove our heads from our bodies but they cannot penetrate the wall of fire that surrounds our spirits. He who the Son has set free is free indeed.

The building of this wall is a vital work and God will complete that which He has begun. It is a high tower, a place of refuge and many will find security behind it in the coming days. It is the only secure place. The whole world is being shaken and will be shaken even more. Every single thing that is not tethered to God and Him alone will be shaken from its place. The only secure place is behind His wall. Even the stars will fall from the sky but God’s people shall not be moved. Behind this wall, fortified with grace and mercy , love and obedience and the fire of God, God’s people will dwell. More and more will come to this place until their numbers are fulfilled. The whole world will come against and surround those within these walls. Yet the walls shall never be breached. Though the body may die, the spirit shall not be taken. We do not fear those who can destroy the body, we fear and reverence the one who holds eternity in His hand. Stand fast saints, God is with you.