Truths About “Occupying” Until the End

Weekly Sermon, 19 April 2026

By Pastor Sheldon Emry

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Looking at the world today, it is easy to succumb to a pervasive sense of despair. We witness social decay, national decline, and a government that seems to actively enforce edicts that encourage the violation of God’s law. For many, it feels as though the “wicked” have been granted a permanent seat at the table of power, leaving the faithful to wonder how much longer the foundations of our civilization can hold.

In response, many well-meaning people have taken up the mantle of political and social warfare. We talk about “straightening up the world,” fighting against global communists, the “Antichrist,” or whatever new geopolitical enemy appears on the horizon. We view ourselves as soldiers in a physical battle for the soul of our nation, convinced that if we could only remove the “bad actors,” righteousness would return as if by default.

But what if our entire strategy is fundamentally flawed? In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus gives a specific instruction for how His followers should behave in a world that has not yet seen the fullness of His kingdom. He says simply: “Occupy till I come.” When we look closely at the theological and economic context of this command, it becomes clear that we have been fighting the wrong war entirely.

“Occupying” is a Business Strategy, Not a Battle Plan

In Luke 19:11-26, Jesus tells the parable of a nobleman who gives ten servants ten pounds each before departing to receive a kingdom. His instruction is not to take up arms or to stage a coup in his absence. Rather, he says, “Occupy till I come.”

In the Greek and the context of the parable, “occupying” is about stewardship, management, and—most importantly—increase. The nobleman did not want his servants to merely “hold the fort” or maintain the status quo. He expected productivity. When the nobleman returned, he judged the servants based on how much they had increased what was entrusted to them.

The lesson is a hard one for the modern activist: our primary responsibility is not the external “straightening up” of the world, but internal management and growth. Those who have the most will be given more, while the unproductive lose even the little they possess. To occupy is to be about the business of the King, focusing on stewardship and the active pursuit of spiritual and communal growth rather than physical combat.

Our Enemies are Symptoms, Not the Primary Problem

One of the most uncomfortable truths found in Scripture is that the “enemies” we spend so much time fighting—wicked rulers, hostile nations, and those who “eat our harvest”—are often described as divine appointments.

According to Leviticus 26 and Isaiah 59, when a nation chooses to despise God’s statutes and break His covenant, God responds with specific consequences. He warns: “I will even appoint over you terror” and “they that hate you shall reign over you.” We see this mirrored in our modern headlines. The source highlights the absurdity of American grain—harvested in places like Kansas and Iowa—being sent to feed rivals in China and Russia while our own national strength wanes. This is a literal fulfillment of the warning that “enemies shall eat your seed.”

Blaming “the Antichrist” or “World Communism” is a tactical distraction. These forces are not independent actors; they are the “great army” God sends as a result of national transgression. We saw this in the Vietnam War—a conflict where a global superpower was held at bay by a small enemy because, as the source suggests, national disobedience prevents victory in the field. As the text bluntly states:

“I have put those enemies there because you refuse to obey my word.”

The True Stronghold is Between Your Ears

We often quote 2 Corinthians 10, celebrating that our weapons are “mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” We imagine these strongholds are external political structures or demonic headquarters in distant capitals. However, Paul’s definition of this warfare is far more intimate and demanding.

The “warfare” Paul discusses involves “casting down imaginations” and “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” The primary stronghold is not in Washington or Moscow; it is within the human mind. There is a chronological necessity to this battle: we are only “in readiness” to revenge or correct the disobedience of the world once our own internal obedience is fulfilled.

From a scholarly perspective, this means the first target for victory must be the self. We cannot hope to correct the rebellion of a nation or a global system while we are still harboring personal rebellion against God’s law in our own thoughts and actions. Internal victory is the tactical prerequisite for external change.

The “Saved” are Still in a Race—and Can Still Lose

There is a common, dangerous complacency in modern theology—often summarized as “Once Saved, Always Saved”—which suggests that a simple confession of faith provides a permanent immunity from judgment, regardless of behavior. The source recounts a Baptist man who claimed he could commit murder and still be saved. This is a theology of shipwreck.

Paul’s writings in 1 Corinthians 9 and Colossians 1 offer a startling wake-up call. Paul describes the Christian life as a race and a fight requiring absolute temperance. He speaks of “keeping under my body and bringing it into subjection,” specifically fearing that after preaching to others, he himself might become a “castaway.”

In Colossians, he notes that Christ has reconciled us to present us holy and unblamable—but there is a massive condition: “if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled.” The “crown” is not a participation trophy for a past decision; it is a prize for those who maintain the discipline of the race. The warfare is the daily striving against the transgression of the law within ourselves.

The “Silent Truth” in the Pulpit

The current state of national “blindness” described in Isaiah 59—where we “grope for the wall like the blind”—is exacerbated by a crisis of cowardice in the pulpit. The source makes a provocative claim: many ministers today know the “truth” but refuse to preach it.

This truth involves the “mystery which hath been hid from ages”: the specific identity of the “Israel people” as the Anglo-Saxon/Christian West, the people to whom the Bible was given. Many ministers recognize this identification and understand that the “Antichrist” is an active, identifiable force working to destroy Christendom. However, they refuse to “fully preach the word” because they fear losing their positions, their salaries, or their status within their denominations. When ministers choose job security over truth, “truth falls in the street,” and the nation remains blind to its own identity and its true path to restoration.

Conclusion: A Final Thought for the Modern “Occupier”

The path to healing our land (2 Chronicles 7:14) is often quoted but rarely applied. We are eager to “pray and seek His face,” but we systematically ignore the hardest requirement: “turn from their wicked ways.”

True repentance is not an emotional state; it is a cessation of the transgression of the law. It means to quit doing what you are doing wrong and start doing what is right. External political activism, while it has its place, is a secondary concern that will never bear fruit as long as the nation remains in rebellion. Our primary “occupancy” is a return to internal spiritual discipline and a radical obedience to God’s word.

If the enemies we see in our government are actually a mirror of our own disobedience, what happens to them the moment we finally decide to obey?

 

Study Guide: Spiritual Warfare and the Principle of Occupancy

 

This study guide provides a comprehensive review of the theological and national principles surrounding the concept of “occupying” until the return of Christ. It analyzes the distinction between physical and spiritual warfare, the consequences of national disobedience, and the biblical mandate for internal subjection to God’s law.

 

 

Part I: Short-Answer Quiz

 

Instructions: Answer the following questions in two to three sentences based on the provided text.

 

1. What is the central lesson of the parable of the ten servants in Luke 19 regarding the phrase “occupy till I come”?

 

2. How does Paul characterize the “good fight” and “warfare” in his letters to Timothy?

 

3. According to 2 Corinthians 10, what are the “weapons of our warfare,” and what is their primary purpose?

 

4. Why does the author argue that focusing on external enemies, such as communists or political figures, is a secondary concern for Christians?

 

5. What specific national curses are outlined in Leviticus 26 for those who despise God’s statutes?

 

6. How does the text identify the “Israel people” in the modern era, and what is their current spiritual state?

 

7. What is the significance of the “race” metaphor used in Hebrews 12 and 1 Corinthians 9?

 

8. What is the “mystery” mentioned in the book of Colossians, and what is the ultimate goal of preaching this mystery?

 

9. According to the analysis of 2 Chronicles 7:14, why is prayer alone insufficient for the healing of a land?
10. What provision does 1 John 1 offer for those who acknowledge they are “mortal men” prone to making mistakes?

 

Part II: Answer Key

1. The Lesson of Occupancy: The phrase “occupy till I come” refers to a noble man delivering “pounds” to his servants to use and increase during his absence. The principle established is that those who successfully increase what they have been given will receive more, while those who have nothing will lose even what they initially possessed.
2. Paul’s Warfare: Paul describes the Christian life as a “good fight of faith” and a “warfare” that involves holding onto faith and a good conscience. He concludes at the end of his life that finishing this “course” and keeping the faith earns a “crown of righteousness” from the Lord.
3. Weapons of Warfare: The weapons of Christian warfare are described as not “carnal” (fleshly) but “mighty through God” for the pulling down of strongholds. These weapons are intended to cast down imaginations and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
4. The Priority of Internal Obedience: The text posits that Christians cannot effectively revenge the disobedience of the world—including communists or the antichrist—until their own internal obedience is fulfilled. The major part of warfare is the struggle to bring one’s own mind and body into subjection to Jesus Christ first.
5. National Curses: Leviticus 26 states that disobedience leads to being plagued with diseases like “consumption and a burning ague,” sowing seeds in vain because enemies eat the harvest, and being slain before those who hate them. Ultimately, those who hate the disobedient people will reign over them.
6. Identity of the Israel People: The text identifies the “Israel people” as the “Christian West” or the Anglo-Saxon people, upon whom God’s name (Christian) is called. Currently, they are described as a “blind nation” being led by blind men, losing their “shining” as a light of Christendom because of their transgression of the law.
7. The Race Metaphor: The Christian life is likened to a race where one must run with patience and temperance to win an “incorruptible crown.” This requires keeping the body under subjection to avoid being a “castaway” or losing the prize after preaching to others.
8. The Mystery in Colossians: The mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” which was hidden for generations but is now made manifest to the saints. The goal of teaching and warning every man about this mystery is to present every man “perfect in Christ Jesus.”
9. Healing the Land: Based on 2 Chronicles 7:14, the text emphasizes that national healing requires not just prayer and seeking God’s face, but also “turning from their wicked ways.” Repentance—quitting what is wrong and starting what is right—is the essential condition for God to forgive sin and heal the nation.
10. Provision for Sin: 1 John 1 teaches that if Christians walk in the light and confess their sins, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses them from all unrighteousness. It warns that anyone claiming to have no sin deceives themselves, but emphasizes that God is faithful to forgive those who confess.

 

Part III: Essay Questions

 

Instructions: Use the themes and data points from the source context to develop comprehensive responses to the following prompts.

 

1. Internal Subjection vs. External Action: Analyze the text’s argument regarding the “strongholds” mentioned by Paul. Contrast the romanticized view of fighting external “wickedness” with the author’s mandate for internal mental and spiritual subjection.
2. The Law of Blessings and Curses: Evaluate how the author links the Old Testament statutes in Leviticus 26 and Joel to the contemporary state of the “Christian West.” Discuss the specific examples of economic and political “curses” provided in the text.
3. The Doctrine of National Repentance: Examine the author’s critique of modern denominational teachings (such as “once saved, always saved”). How does the author use the requirements of 2 Chronicles 7:14 to argue for a more rigorous definition of repentance?
4. The Metaphor of Athleticism in Faith: Explore the comparisons made between the Christian life and the physical discipline of runners and weightlifters. What role does “temperance in all things” play in achieving an “incorruptible crown”?
5. Prophetic Warnings for the “End of the Age”: Synthesize the prophecies from Joel, Isaiah, and Matthew 24 as presented in the text. Describe the “evil servant,” the “great army” of communism, and the specific spiritual failures that lead to “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

 

Part IV: Glossary of Key Terms

 

Term      Definition

Antichrist             Defined scripturally in the text as those who deny Christ; specifically identified by the author as the Jewish people and those in government working against Christianity.

Carnal Weapons               Physical or fleshly means of fighting, which the text argues are ineffective against spiritual strongholds.

Castaway             A state described by Paul where one might lose the “crown” or prize of the race if they stop running toward the win or fail to keep their body in subjection.

Israel People       The people of the “Christian West” (the Anglo-Saxons) who are identified by God’s name and are the recipients of the biblical covenants and prophecies.

Mystery               The concept of “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” which is the central truth Paul labored to teach the saints.

Occupy To stay in the battle or race, using and increasing the “pounds” (spiritual or material resources) given by God until Christ returns.

Repentance        The act of “turning from wicked ways,” which implies stopping wrong actions and starting right ones; the prerequisite for national healing.

Rend your heart                A scriptural phrase meaning to experience a breaking of the heart and turning to Jesus, contrasted with merely “rending garments” (outward mourning or complaining).

Sin          Defined explicitly in the text as the “transgression of the law” of God.

Strongholds        Mental or spiritual areas of disobedience within one’s own mind and body that must be pulled down to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Temperance        Abstaining from things that injure or debilitate the human body and mind to maintain strength for the spiritual race.