If you were asked whether or not you wanted to be persecuted, would you be one to say, “Oh, yes, bring it on”? Be careful of your response. May I be so bold as to say, if you respond thus, you probably are not ready for it? I am not trying to judge your heart, but if we seriously study and consider persecution from times past, how many of us will be able to stand firm for truth as have millions of others?
Last Day Church
Jesus talks about His last day church in Matthew 24. “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” Verse 9. Does Jesus say that everyone is going to love you, that everything is going to be wonderful in this life? No! He says that they are going to deliver you up to be killed. That does not sound like a very nice walk in this life, does it? But Jesus is warning us, because He says that we will have to follow in His footsteps.
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Verse 21. In this text, Jesus is telling His people that there is going to be a time of tribulation, or trouble, in this world that has never been. Oh, that sounds like a gloomy picture, but the question is, do we believe it? Are we looking forward to it?
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” Verse 22. Praise the Lord!
These words were spoken as Jesus was overlooking Jerusalem and foresaw the coming destruction of this city. He knew something big was about to happen. Not only did He apply this prophecy to Jerusalem, but He also applied it to God’s last day people and what they would have to endure.
Are You Prepared?
Friend, are you ready for what is to come? Do you know Jesus? Do you know Him as you should know Him today? Jesus looked through time, and He saw the darkness that would encircle His last day people. I believe He looked at you and at me, and said, “They need some help! Because they need help, I am going to warn them of what is going to take place. I will not only warn them, but I am going to tell them, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ ” Matthew 28:20.
What a blessing it is to know that He will never forsake us. He will never leave us when we are in despair, when we are discouraged, when things are going badly, when we are being fed—as many were in the Dark Ages—to the lions and to the dogs. We can be assured that God will never leave our sides.
What faith it takes, today, to believe this, because when the bottom falls out for us, we want to blame others; we even want to blame God. Think about it. We are always looking for someone to blame. But Jesus, looking down the stream of time, foretold how the leaders of the so-called religious movement will persecute the people of God in the last days.
If, today, you do not have an interest in fellowshipping with God’s people, you will not have the resolve to stand when things get tough. If you do not have a love for Christ, if you are not walking day by day with Him, if your faith is not being increased, if you are not being tested and tried, you will not be able to go through this time of which Jesus speaks. You will not want to go through it; you will not have the strength to go through it. In fact, you will not be able to go through it, because you are not holding the hand of Jesus today.
Walk the Path of Jesus
If you read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (John Foxe, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967), it is overwhelming to learn of the events of past ages and to know that Jesus looked down through time and foresaw every one of these events taking place. How His heart must have grieved. How His heart must have ached as He viewed the millions lost, because He knew they would not receive Him. No wonder He wept when he looked over Jerusalem.
Jesus said to His people, “You are going to have to walk the same path that I have walked.” What little I know about the path that He trod, I look at myself and say, “Lord, I am not capable.” And He looks down at me and says, “Kenny, I know you are not. That is why I will be there with you. I will help you.” Friend, you and I alone could not tread that path at all.
Can anyone say, “I am being persecuted”? Now, you may not have what you desire. You may be going through difficult times, but would you say you are being persecuted? If you truly understand what persecution means, and what it does to an individual or to a family, or what real torture is all about, you cannot say that you are being persecuted. You may have been maligned. You may have been hurt. You may have had your heart ripped out, as it were, but you are still walking around and still searching for some answers. God has all those answers for you.
But understand this: The powers of hell are being loosed upon God’s children, because the devil cannot stand you. In reality, he hates you. He does not want you on the face of this earth, because you represent Jesus. But friend, it is interesting to note that you are alive today. If the devil had his way, you would not be in existence. You would never have another Sabbath; you would never again be able to come together with like believers. You would never again have the association of your husband, your wife, your children, family, or friends. But you are here today; you are living because of Jesus.
History Repeats
Persecution for us could occur in the very near future. It is happening in other parts of this earth. But, because we have not directly experienced it, we keep living in this make-believe world thinking that it is not going to happen to us.
Look back over the years of your life. Of the significant things that have happened to you during the past 20 years, how many did you, at one time, think, “This could not happen to me”? But they did happen!
Jesus said that persecution is going to take place. What happened to the faithful, who have been persecuted throughout the ages, will happen again, because history repeats itself.
Falsely Accused
History bears the fact that God’s people were falsely accused. We are referring to the days of Paul and of Nero, who was one of the most barbaric persecutors of the early church. Even then there were people who were doing the work of the devil. Many Christians were killed by wild animals before crowds of spectators in the arenas, while others were tied to posts, covered with flammable materials, and used as human street lamps for Nero’s gardens. It is difficult to imagine a more evil man.
Ellen White wrote: “These persecutions, beginning under Nero about the time of the martyrdom of Paul, continued with greater or less fury for centuries. Christians were falsely accused of the most dreadful crimes and declared to be the cause of great calamities—famine, pestilence, and earthquake. As they became the objects of popular hatred and suspicion, informers stood ready, for the sake of gain, to betray the innocent. They were condemned as rebels against the empire, as foes of religion, and pests to society.” The Great Controversy, 40.
This persecution began when Nero suggested that the Christians were responsible for starting a fire in Rome that burned for nine days, destroying much of the city. Since that time, God’s true and faithful have been accused of being responsible for the tempests of the waters, for violent storms, for famines and earthquakes, and for the disasters in the lands at any given time. “The worldling is ever on the watch to criticize and accuse those who serve God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 266.
What If
Consider a recent great calamity. What if the people blamed you for the disastrous events of 9/11 (the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America at the World Trade Center Towers in New York City, New York, and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C.)? What if they looked around and said, “Brother _____ is responsible; he is preaching something different; he is an oddball in society; we believe he is linked to this terrible event”? Most certainly many people would try their best to get rid of this person, no questions asked. Mob excitement is easy to stir up in the world today. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, you had better have on your shield of faith. (Ephesians 6:16.)
At the time of the sniper shootings in the Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., areas during the fall of 2002, Pastor Dennis Crystal and I were right in the middle of that area. We had driven here and there, and then the time came when we needed to stop for some gasoline. He looked at me and said, “Brother, it is time to get gas.”
I said, “Yes, it is, and you are driving.” He chuckled along with me. We had prayed that morning for God’s protective care, but we decided that, before we got out of the car to fill it with gasoline, we would pray for His protection again. We knew that God was in control, and we trusted Him.
We must trust God that He is going to take care of us in the midst of traffic, in the midst of natural disasters, in the midst of sniper shootings, in the midst of terror attacks. It does not matter what is going on in the world, for God has said, “I will be with you. I will take care of you. I will meet all of your needs.”
When circumstances seem dark, will you still trust Him? What if your faith is challenged, and you do not back down, so your child is taken from you, and, before your eyes, those who are under the control of the devil cut him or her a little bit here and there with a knife? Then they skin an animal, and while the blood is still dripping from this animal skin, they tie it tightly around your child, put your son or daughter in a public arena, and let hungry dogs or lions loose to attack and devour him or her. Will you then stand firm for your beliefs? Many people throughout the years denounced their faith rather than witness the suffering of their children, and they were still fed to the lions. It would be better, if you were going to be fed to the wild beasts, to go out on the side of Christ rather than on the side of denying Him. What faith that will take!
Pests to Society
As we read previously, from The Great Controversy, Ellen White states that God’s people will be considered “pests to society.” A pest! A fly may pester me to the point where I just cannot do anything until I get rid of it. I do not consider putting it in a cage and trying to keep it alive by feeding it. My only goal is to get rid of it. Why? Because it is a pest.
In the last days, you will be a pest. That is what society will call you. Can you bear that? You cannot, in your own strength; it is an impossibility.
During the days of persecution, life became so difficult that God’s people had to go to the solitary places of the earth. The earth around and under Rome had been riddled with tunnels and passageways, with Jewish catacombs located along the edges of the city. God’s people had to go underground and live in darkness and solitude, because they were hunted down like wild animals.
These were people who loved Jesus with all of their hearts—the kind of people you want to be around, from whom you want to draw strength. They were people who will have a home in heaven, but while still on earth, they made the catacombs of Rome their place to live. Why? They could have said, “We do not follow Jesus. We do not love Him,” and possibly life would have continued on for them without harassment. But they loved Him too much. They were willing to sacrifice all—family, friends, everything.
Sudden Destruction
I would like for you to consider two classes of people today. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5.
Is verse 3, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape,” a promise? Is it the truth? Yes, it is the truth. Now notice that it says, “sudden destruction comes upon them.”
Ellen White wrote: “When life is going on in its unvarying round; when men are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in traffic, in money-making; when religious leaders are magnifying the world’s progress and enlightenment, and the people are lulled in a false security—then, as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling, so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly . . . .” The Great Controversy, 38. [Emphasis supplied.] Those who are careless in their Christian experience today are the ungodly of today.
Careless
We think that carelessness is not such a big deal—carelessness in church attendance, carelessness in tithe paying, carelessness in our witnessing. We think it does not matter whether or not we participate in church activities. Somebody else will do it. We are careless in the gifts and abilities God gives to us, talents that we should be using for His honor and for His glory. We have become careless. We have become sleepy. We have become Laodicea, the lukewarm people. And what did God say about those who are lukewarm? He is going to vomit them out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:16.)
God tells us that sudden destruction will come upon the careless and the ungodly. Until I began a study on this subject, I never quite understood the importance of not being careless. There have been times when I have been careless about things. Looking back, I know I should have done things differently, but at the time, I excused myself; I did not feel like doing better. How sad to go on emotional and physical feelings instead of operating on principles! Friend, if you are careless in the things of God, you care less about God.
Too Busy
We cannot say, “God really does not care about this little thing; it is not a big deal to Him.” If it separates us from Him, He cares about it. It does not matter whether or not it is good within itself; if it becomes our god, our idol, it is taking us away from Jesus.
In the past, I have been guilty of making things my god. For many years I worked in a business, made some money, and things seemed to be going right. “The Lord is really blessing,” I said. Yes, the Lord blessed me, or I thought He blessed me. But after conversion came, I looked around, and I said, “Why, that dirty devil.”
Somebody may ask, “How can that happen? God blessed with this and that; He gave you this and that. You helped this; you did all those other things.” Oh, friend, I was too busy doing the good things, and all those good things kept me from Him. The blessings were not coming from God; they were really coming from the devil. The devil will give blessings.
Do you think the devil is not blessing many churches, many ministries, today, with all kinds of things? They appear to have so much and look to be so successful. Do not take for granted that God is doing the blessing, friend. If the church is God’s church, it will speak as God speaks, or it is not God’s last day church.
As I look back, I realize that what I thought were blessings from God actually left no time for Him—no time for real personal study, no time for witnessing, no time to really search the Word, or do what God wanted me to do. Do you think God is going to bless you in a way that actually pulls you away from Him? No way! He wants a balance in our lives.
Ungodly
As soon as you hear someone say, “I could not care less,” stop him or her immediately. That care less attitude has put us in the societal mess that we are in today. In the spiritual realm, in the physical world, we deal with people who care less about anything but themselves.
I thought that I knew the meaning of careless, but when I looked to a dictionary for a definition, it said, “without worry; negligent, slovenly; unvalued, disregarded.” It means that I do not care about anybody; I am negligent in this or that.
If we are careless in the home, if we are careless in the raising of our children, if we are careless with paying our bills, if we are careless in the way we treat others, we are ungodly. There is no use for carelessness in the home or carelessness outside the home, because the Bible says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10.
God is not happy with slothful servants. Slothful persons will not enter the kingdom of God, because they are ungodly, because they are not concerned about a hereafter. They are not concerned about anything except me, mine, and the right now. If careless or ungodly persons are negligent in the things of the world, have they neglected the things of God?
One way we show ungodliness is by being inconsiderate. Many young people, and older people too, are so inconsiderate of anyone else. They knock into people and jump in front of people waiting in line. They do this because they are ungodly. They can claim to be Christians, but Jesus would never do those things. If we see our brothers or sisters doing things like this, we should remind them that they are representing Jesus.
The Loud Cry
I recently had the privilege of meeting with new Sabbath-keepers—whole churches that have turned to the truth in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. What a glorious experience! These people love Jesus with all of their hearts. During some of the meetings, there were 25 or 30 different pastors in attendance from various areas. How thrilling it was to see people stand up in the pulpit and say, “I love Jesus, and I believe in keeping the seventh day of the week as God’s true and holy Sabbath. I came out of Babylon; I am forsaking those things and am following Jesus all the way.” On their church vans was printed, on one side, “God’s Eleventh Hour Workers,” and on the other side, “Repairers of the Breach.”
One person said, “God has told us that we are to give the loud cry to the world, and wake them up.” Some Seventh-day Adventists scratch their heads and say, “The loud cry; wonder what message that might be? Oh, whatever we do, we just do it loud.” Oh, friend, these new believers know what the message is. They have a desire in their hearts and the Spirit of God is inside them; they speak in such a way that people around them, who believe differently, are not offended.
We are counseled, “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Revelation 3:11. If the loud cry is really in our hearts and in our lives, if we really believe it, as do these people, then we must proclaim it. If we do not, others will.
To be continued . . .
Pastor Kenny Shelton is speaker for the television ministry of Behold the Lamb in Herrin, Illinois. He may be contacted by e-mail at: BTLM@GTE.net, or by telephone at: 1-800-238-2856.