This article is written to help you understand the spiritual tragedy that has happened to the people of Russia since 1917, and to show why we must reach Russia now. Read both parts of this article all the way to the end - you will rejoice to see the power and truth of God's Word, and you will better comprehend why Russia must be reached now!Why Lenin's Body Was Mummified And Placed on Display
Stalin played a shrewd game with the minds and emotions of the Russian populace by placing Lenin's mummified body in a glass case and allowing the public to come view it. You see, before the Revolution, when the Orthodox Church beatified people to the status of "sainthood," one test to determine a true "saint" was whether or not his body ever decayed with death. A non-decaying body, Orthodox leaders asserted, was evidence that this was indeed a different kind of person - someone with rare powers and supernatural forces bestowed by God.
By encasing Lenin's embalmed dead body in glass and making it available for the general public to view, the communist leaders played on the religious past of the Russian populace. They were attempting to deliver a superstitious proclamation that this dead man was clearly not a normal man. Rather, he was someone endowed with rare powers that had been with him in life and were now sustaining him in death.
With the embalming and public display of Lenin's body, Stalin pulled off the ultimate public relations device to form the cult of Lenin - a strange sort of "religion" that captivated and held the entire USSR hostage from 1917 to 1991.
God's Word Is True!
Russia and the 15 nations of the former USSR still have insurmountable challenges to deal with and to overcome. Although no one is currently being sent to prison or killed for his or her faith in Russia, there are geographical areas where forces are still very hostile to the Gospel - and I mean very hostile!
However, it is very significant that no one is shedding his blood in this region for what he believes right now. In fact, as I look around Russia, I see that prisons no longer hold believers, churches are slowly being birthed, and the Gospel is being preached. In fact, the Gospel is being preached on television to multiplied millions of people each week!
When evil men are in control, life can be difficult and even disastrous. But evil men never stay in power very long. Look at what God's Word says:
"They (the former tyrant masters) are dead, they shall not live and reappear; they are powerless ghosts, they shall not rise and come back. Therefore You [God] have visited and made an end of them and caused every memory of them [every trace of their supremacy] to perish" (Isa. 26:14, AMP).
"... The wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" (Isa. 29:14-15, KJV).
"The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken." (Ps. 37:14-15, NIV).
"For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land" (Ps. 37:9, NIV).
"The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming" (Ps. 37:12-13, NIV).
"A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found." (Ps. 37:10, NIV).
Now Russia Needs To Be Reached
With the Good News of the Gospel
The Soviet idols of the past are so utterly demolished by the power of God that today no one talks about Lenin. Although communists still hold a substantial amount of power in Russia today, they are generally frowned upon by the younger and upcoming generation. Now they are the ones who are outdated and obsolete, and the Church of Jesus Christ is free - at least for now - to worship and to spread the Good News to every part of Russia.
Russia is still basically unreached. It's true that churches have been birthed in many places, but the vast population of 150 million people - scattered over 10 time zones, 6,000 miles from west to the east, 2,000 miles from south to north - have still never heard or comprehended the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The work ahead of us is huge - but we are called and anointed to do the task in this land where communism once reigned supreme.
When I think of Russia's horrid past and all the evil people who have ruled it, I am reminded that God's Word is true. The Church of Jesus Christ is not only surviving, but thriving. What we have experienced in this part of the world in the past ten years demonstrates that Almighty God still has no tolerance for false gods or idols. It also demonstrates that God still dominates and rules in the affairs of man. Jesus truly is Lord!
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