persecuted

Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part II

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A dictionary gives the definition of the word careless as: “without worry; negligent, slovenly; unvalued, disregarded.” To be careless means that I do not care about anybody, that I am negligent in doing that which is necessary to do.

God is not pleased with slothful servants. Slothful persons will not enter the kingdom of God, because they are ungodly; they are not concerned about a hereafter. They are not concerned about anything except themselves, what is theirs, and the right now.

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.

If careless or ungodly persons are negligent in the things of the world, have they also neglected the things of God? Are they searching for truth? Are they following the counsel, “Study to show thyself approved unto God . . .”? 11 Timothy 2:15. If they have been careless in their position for Jesus Christ, they are in the ungodly group. Where do you stand? Each of us is on one side or the other. Are you with the ungodly or the godly?

Care Less

If we become careless in any aspect of the message that God has given us, we have begotten that care less attitude. The care less attitude occurs in the spiritual life, such as in our witnessing, as well as in the home life. We cannot be careless about anything that we do. If we are, it shows that we do not care about others; we do not care about God. Therefore, we have to tighten the grip that God wants us to have; we must not be careless or indifferent. Mrs. White wrote, “The Lord abhors indifference and disloyalty in a time of crisis in His work.” Prophets and Kings, 148.

To be indifferent in the hour in which we live is a sin against God. A number of Seventh-day Adven-tists are going to have to get off this rail fence, because they are getting splinters, and those splinters are becoming painful. God says, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.” Revelation 3:15. Each of us will have to get on one side of the fence or the other. We will each have to make a choice whether to be cold or hot.

Where is Persecution?

Where is persecution? Why are we not being persecuted today? There is something wrong, friend, with the fact that we are not experiencing persecution.

The devil did his best to persecute and to kill. The blood of the saints during the Reformation watered the seed that was sown. (See The Great Controversy, 78.) One historian wrote that the more the Christians were cut down, the thicker they became. The devil tried to destroy Christ’s followers, but more came. He decided that since he could not beat them he would join them.

Regarding this, Mrs. White wrote: “Thousands were imprisoned and slain, but others sprang up to fill their places. And those who were martyred for their faith were secured to Christ and accounted of Him as conquerors. They had fought the good fight, and they were to receive the crown of glory when Christ should come. The sufferings which they endured brought Christians nearer to one another and to their Redeemer. Their living example and dying testimony were a constant witness for the truth; and where least expected, the subjects of Satan were leaving his service and enlisting under the banner of Christ.

“Satan therefore laid his plans to war more successfully against the government of God by planting his banner in the Christian church. If the followers of Christ could be deceived and led to displease God, then their strength, fortitude, and firmness would fail, and they would fall an easy prey.” The Great Controversy, 42.

Devil in Church

You may think that the devil is not in your church. This is not realistic thinking! Do you know how the devil may come into your church? He may come in through you or another member experiencing depression. He may come in because you are aggravated or provoked about something, or perhaps because you have things on your mind that you should not have. Then the warfare begins. You leave the church services not knowing what was said. You do not remember anything, because in your mind, you were somewhere else. This is how the enemy comes in and the warfare begins.

But God will turn the world upside down for those people who are ready to meet with Him and whose hearts and minds are right—just as He came to His people who stood for Jesus in the past.

Forewarned

Jesus forewarned the people of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, but many did not believe or follow the signs of His warnings. (See Luke 21.) This is going to happen again in the last days. Jesus has told us what to expect, but many—even Seventh-day Adventists—will not believe.

Somehow we have the thinking that God is not going to let horrible things happen to His people. But consider what happened to Jerusalem: “Signs and wonders appeared, foreboding disaster and doom. In the midst of the night an unnatural light shone over the temple and the altar. Upon the clouds at sunset were pictured chariots and men of war gathering for battle. The priests ministering by night in the sanctuary were terrified by mysterious sounds; the earth trembled, and a multitude of voices were heard crying: ‘Let us depart hence.’ . . .
—Milman, The History of the Jews, book 13.

“For seven years a man continued to go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, declaring the woes that were to come upon the city. By day and by night he chanted the wild dirge: ‘A voice from the east! a voice from the west! a voice from the four winds! a voice against Jerusalem and against the temple! a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides! a voice against the whole people!’—Ibid. This strange being was imprisoned and scourged, but no complaint escaped his lips. To insult and abuse he answered only: ‘Woe, woe to Jerusalem!’ ‘woe, woe to the inhabitants thereof!’ His warning cry ceased not until he was slain in the siege he had foretold.

“Not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ had given His disciples warning, and all who believed His words watched for the promised sign.” The Great Controversy, 29, 30.

The man who stayed in Jerusalem for seven years sighed and cried for the abominations going on, and he warned, “Get out! The city is going to be destroyed.” History records that this man had the right motives; he wanted to do the right thing. He thought that if he stayed a little bit longer he could help somebody else, even though he knew he was supposed to leave. He was telling other people to get out, but he stayed and was killed.

Many people today are repeating this man’s actions. As they see error creep into their churches, they continue to attend, thinking they can warn others, even though they are aware of God’s warning against going where error is taught: “I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young nor old should attend their [professed Advent believers] meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness.” Early Writings, 124, 125.

Are you not sure on which side you should be? Be on God’s side! Oh, friend, how important your decision is. The devil is within the church, and he has brought paganism within the church.

Different Kind of Persecution

You may say that you do not believe this. Let me tell you that just through Sunday celebration worship services with rock music and pagan rites and rituals, such as Halloween rituals, paganism has been brought into the church.

Ellen White wrote: “Now the church was in fearful peril. Prison, torture, fire, and sword were blessings in comparison with this [compromise with paganism]. Some of the Christians stood firm, declaring that they could make no compromise. Others were in favor of yielding or modifying some features of their faith and uniting with those who had accepted a part of Christianity, urging that this might be the means of their full conversion. That was a time of deep anguish to the faithful followers of Christ. Under a cloak of pretended Christianity, Satan was insinuating himself into the church, to corrupt their faith and turn their minds from the word of truth.

“Most of the Christians at last consented to lower their standard, and a union was formed between Christianity and paganism.” The Great Controversy, 42, 43.

Did you get it, friend? When the devil took the church, after he had killed and maligned and persecuted with the sword, persecution stopped, and he got inside the church around God’s people. Oh, the church was in trouble. Prison, torture, fire, and the sword were a blessing compared to having the devil within the church!

Some people still think that the devil will not get them if they are in the church.

Compromise

Here is what happened—and is still happening today. One group declared that they would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. Another group brought with them their paganistic ideas and thoughts. They did not want to leave paganism. They did not want to leave their idolatry, but they wanted to join the popular Christian movement. In the end, both groups agreed to compromise.

Be cautious of this. In the last days, people will say, “Let us just agree on what we can agree, and let all the other issues go. Do not worry about doctrine; do not worry about teaching. We agree on this point; that is good enough; that is unity.” This is unity of the world. It is ecumenism.

One group in the early church, after persecution ceased and the devil had set up shop in the church, said, “Let us not worry about all the differences that we have. Let us just agree where we can agree and unite.” But then others said, “We do not want to do that.”

Mrs. White wrote that, at last, the majority of the Christians agreed to compromise. So what did the pagans do? They brought back their altars and their images. They brought their idols into the church, because the church was willing to compromise the principles of God’s Word. All they had to do was change the objects they worshipped. They brought in images of Jesus, of Mary, and of the saints, and they began to worship them. Idolatry comes in any time the church compromises.

The majority of the church began to agree with this form of worship. More and more of the care less, ungodly attitude came into the church. However, the true church would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. They declared that, if necessary, they would separate. Why? Because of the paganism and idolatry in the church.

Compromise has opened the door to the enemy. What we need now is unity—but more than unity. Because we believe in the seventh-day Sabbath, it is going to take more than that. We must be unified on the pillars of truth that God has given His last-day people. We must keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

Vital Godliness

In The Great Controversy, 48, Mrs. White states, “There is so little vital godliness in the church.”

What is something that is vital? I hear, when I visit patients in the hospital, the term “vital organ.” What does this mean? It refers to an organ that is necessary for life. Vital is something that you must have. There are some parts of the body you can get along without, but there are some parts you cannot. I would not, for example, say that you can get by without your heart or with just a little portion of it. No, it is vital. But there is little of something that is apparently vital to the church—godliness. That which is necessary for God’s church, for His people, to function is missing. We are eliminating God from the church and letting man rule and reign. We are setting God’s laws aside, and we are letting man make the rules and regulations. Vital godliness is not in the church.

So, we may ask, If we are lacking, by the grace of God, should we not remedy it? How do we attain godliness? I am not content to say, “That is right; there is a lack of vital godliness, but that is the way it is.” I believe it can be changed. I believe the lack has to do with you and me. God is still the same God. Christ is still the same Christ. They have not changed one iota, nor will they. Then, as you may recall, the Bible tells us that all who live godly lives are going to suffer persecution. (See 11 Timothy 3:12.)

What We Need

What do we need in the church? Is it more preaching? No, it is not more preaching. It is not more meetings. It is not necessarily reading—not studying but just reading—God’s Word, praying a little more, giving a little more tithes and offerings. The Jews did all of those things, but they did not do them from the right motives of the heart. When they began to do them from the right motives of the heart, God blessed them richly.

When our works come from the right motives, God does great things. We, however, are so satisfied with the little things. We pray for the Lord to give us a soul this year. Well, it is a good thought, but why does our faith stop with only one? If faith were working in our lives, we would be praying for the Lord to give us countless opportunities to witness. But we have lost that vitality, that true godliness.

Conversion Needed

We have such a wavering faith today. This is why, in Acts 3:19, we are told to repent. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted.” The church needs to be converted. How sad it is that, among Seventh-day Adventists who should know the message, who should be studying it and accepting it, there are some who do not know if they are converted.

It is the same thing as saying, “I do not know if I am in a saving relationship with Jesus.” Friend, why are you thinking this way? Jesus said, “I will wash you whiter than snow, though your sins be as scarlet.” (Isaiah 1:18.) “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9.) Ellen White, in her writings, says, “If they [men] confess their mistakes the Lord will forgive their sins, and pardon their transgressions. While they cannot say, We have never sinned, yet if they have the meekness and gentleness of Christ, the Lord will hold them more firmly than they can possibly hold the Lord.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 133. The world will not do that. They will mess you up time and time again. They will crucify you for the same thing for years to come. But Jesus will treat you as though you never sinned.

With that good news in mind, then, if we are to be like Jesus, we must treat others the same way Jesus treats us. We must be as forgiving and as loving as He is. The world teaches all kinds of love, but it has no real concept of true love. We see only a little glimpse as we look to the cross of Calvary where Jesus was nailed because of His love for you and for me. He says, “Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19.) Friend, the church needs to be refreshed.

The Church

When I refer to the church, let me be very clear. The church is not a certain denomination. It is not the Seventh-day Adventists, the Baptists, the Catholics, or any other religion. The church is God’s people on earth—“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20. Ellen White wrote: “From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” The Acts of the Apostles, 11. “All down through the history of the world, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” Our High Calling, 172. “The church on earth, composed of those who are faithful and loyal to God . . . .” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 931. “God has a distinct people, a church on earth, second to none, but superior to all in their facilities to teach the truth, to vindicate the law of God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 58. No, God’s church is not contained in a building or single religious group. “God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” The Upward Look, 315. This is very clear!

I often hear it said, “The church is moving on.” To what church does this refer? The true church of God will be moving on. It will go on through. But this does not mean the true church is a certain denomination. There are many who believe the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is God’s true church. If it is God’s church, it will speak as does God. If it does not speak as God speaks, it is not His church—regardless of its name or where it is located. God does not speak with a forked tongue; He is “the same yesterday, today, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8.)

The church has lost its vitalness, its power. Mrs. White makes it very, very clear in Testimonies, vol. 5, 100: “If the church pursue a course similar to that of the world, they will share the same fate. Nay, rather, as they have received greater light, their punishment will be greater than that of the impenitent.” Some may say that we are doing the best we can; we have a lot of faults and failures, and there is a lot of sin, but we are going on through anyway. However, God says that we cannot enter heaven with one unconfessed sin, although many denominations teach that you can go to heaven with unconfessed sins.

Get Rid of the Disease

Mrs. White considered the Laodicean church and compared it to Adventism. Of the Laodiceans she wrote: “The only hope for the Laodiceans is a clear view of their standing before God, a knowledge of the nature of their disease.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 87. And she declared that Adventists have a disease: “Many Seventh-day Adventists fail to realize the responsibility which rests upon them to cooperate with God and Christ for the saving of souls. They do not show forth to the world the great interest God has in sinners. They do not make the most of the opportunities granted them. The leprosy of selfishness has taken hold of the Church. The Lord Jesus Christ will heal the Church of this terrible disease if she will be healed. The remedy is found in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah.” Review and Herald, December 10, 1901.

If you visit your doctor and, after examining you, he says, “You have a bad disease,” do you say, “Well, thank you, Doc. I will put the check in the mail”? No! You want to know what he means. What is the disease? Will it end in death? What treatments are available? You are not going to stay silent. You will want answers to your questions. All pride disappears. All manliness falls by the wayside. You ask innumerable questions—What is going to happen? What do I have? Can you treat it? Can you cut it out? Can you burn it out? Can you pull it out? How much time do I have to live?

We will go to great lengths to get rid of a disease. Why do we then, as Christians, not take such action spiritually? “God’s servants must, by laboring together with Christ, roll away the curse that has made the church so lukewarm.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 966. We must work with our Saviour to improve our vitalness. “A becoming zeal is called for by God on our part.” Ibid. God is calling for greater zeal, for excitement and involvement in the cause for right. We should be so excited that we will share the news of salvation with everyone we meet.

To be continued December 2005 . . .

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.

Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part I

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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.

Bible Study Guides – Look Away! Look Up!

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January 17, 2010 – January 23, 2010

Key Text

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” I Peter 1:6, 7.

Study Help: Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 29–35.

Introduction

“How often we feel that we have been dealt with unjustly, that things have been said concerning us that were untrue, and that we have been set in a false light before others. When we are thus tried, we shall need to keep strict guard over our spirit and our words. We shall need to have the love of Christ, that we may not cherish an unforgiving spirit.” Sons and Daughters of God, 144.

1 Knowing that “persecuted” means harassed or provoked to anger, troubled or annoyed, what blessing is promised to us when we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake? Matthew 5:10.

Note: “Consider the life of Moses. Meekness in the midst of murmuring, reproach, and provocation constituted the brightest trait in his character. Daniel was of a humble spirit. Although he was surrounded with distrust and suspicion, and his enemies laid a snare for his life, yet he never deviated from principle. He maintained a serene and cheerful trust in God. Above all, let the life of Christ teach you. When reviled, He reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not. This lesson you must learn, or you will never enter heaven. Christ must be made your strength. In His name you will be more than conqueror. No enchantment against Jacob, nor divination against Israel, will prevail. If your soul is riveted to the eternal Rock, you are safe. Come joy or come sorrow, nothing can sway you from the right.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 368.

“In all ages Satan has persecuted the people of God. He has tortured them and put them to death, but in dying they became conquerors. They bore witness to the power of One mightier than Satan. Wicked men may torture and kill the body, but they cannot touch the life that is hid with Christ in God. They can incarcerate men and women in prison walls, but they cannot bind the spirit.

“Through trial and persecution the glory—the character—of God is revealed in His chosen ones. The believers in Christ, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school of Christ. On earth they walk in narrow paths; they are purified in the furnace of affliction. They follow Christ through sore conflicts; they endure self-denial and experience bitter disappointments; but thus they learn the guilt and woe of sin, and they look upon it with abhorrence. Being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, they can look beyond the gloom to the glory, saying, ‘I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’ Romans 8:18.” The Acts of the Apostles, 576, 577.

2 As a servant, Whom are we to follow? What also may we be called? Matthew 10:23–25.

Note: “The Saviour says, ‘The reproaches of them that reproached Thee are fallen upon Me.’ Psalm 69:9. In like manner they fall upon His disciples.

“There was never one who walked among men more cruelly slandered than the Son of man. He was derided and mocked because of His unswerving obedience to the principles of God’s holy law. They hated Him without a cause. Yet He stood calmly before His enemies, declaring that reproach is a part of the Christian’s legacy, counseling His followers how to meet the arrows of malice, bidding them not to faint under persecution.

“While slander may blacken the reputation, it cannot stain the character. That is in God’s keeping. So long as we do not consent to sin, there is no power, whether human or satanic, that can bring a stain upon the soul. A man whose heart is stayed upon God is just the same in the hour of his most afflicting trials and most discouraging surroundings as when he was in prosperity, when the light and favor of God seemed to be upon him. His words, his motives, his actions, may be misrepresented and falsified, but he does not mind it, because he has greater interests at stake. Like Moses, he endures as ‘seeing Him who is invisible’ (Hebrews 11:27); looking ‘not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen’ (II Corinthians 4:18).” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 31, 32.

3 How are we to respond when we are reviled, which means despised or verbally abused? I Peter 2:23; Proverbs 19:11.

Note: “How often we feel that we have been dealt with unjustly, that things have been said concerning us that were untrue, and that we have been set in a false light before others. When we are thus tried, we shall need to keep strict guard over our spirit and our words. We shall need to have the love of Christ, that we may not cherish an unforgiving spirit.” Sons and Daughters of God, 144.

4 What did Jesus teach us in His prayer about cherishing our grievances and sympathizing with ourselves? Why is that so important? Matthew 6:15–18.

Note: “However sorely they may have wounded us, we are not to cherish our grievances and sympathize with ourselves over our injuries, but as we hope to be pardoned for our offenses against God, so must we pardon those who have done evil to us … When we are reviled, how strong is the temptation to revile in return, but in doing this we show ourselves as bad as the reviler. When tempted to revile, send up a silent prayer that God will give you His grace, and keep the tongue in silence.” Sons and Daughters of God, 144.

5 What are the sufferings for this time not worthy to be compared with? How long do they last? Romans 8:18; II Corinthians 4:17.

Note: “The eye of faith alone can look beyond the things of time to estimate aright the worth of the eternal riches.” The Acts of the Apostles, 575, 576.

“I have been shown that in the future we shall see how closely all our trials were connected with our salvation, and how these light afflictions worked out for us ‘a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory’ [II Corinthians 4:17].” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1099.

6 Our minds are not to dwell upon what things and why? II Corinthians 4:18.

Note: “Our minds take the level of the things on which our thoughts dwell, and if we think upon earthly things, we shall fail to take the impress of that which is heavenly. We would be greatly benefited by contemplating the mercy, goodness, and love of God; but we sustain great loss by dwelling upon those things which are earthly and temporal. We allow sorrow and care and perplexity to attract our minds to earth, and we magnify a molehill into a mountain. …

“Temporal things are not to engage our whole attention, or engross our minds until our thoughts are entirely of the earth and the earthly. We are to train, discipline, and educate the mind so that we may think in a heavenly channel, that we may dwell on things unseen and eternal, which will be discerned by spiritual vision. It is by seeing Him who is invisible that we may obtain strength of mind and vigor of spirit.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1100.

7 What has our Lord promised us which is far better than being exempted from trials? Deuteronomy 33:25; II Corinthians 12:9.

Note: “While the Lord has not promised His people exemption from trials, He has promised that which is far better. He has said, ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be.’ ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Deuteronomy 33:25; II Corinthians 12:9. If you are called to go through the fiery furnace for His sake, Jesus will be by your side even as He was with the faithful three in Babylon. Those who love their Redeemer will rejoice at every opportunity of sharing with Him humiliation and reproach. The love they bear their Lord makes suffering for His sake sweet.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 30.

8 When the apostles were persecuted, what was their response? Acts 5:41.

Note: “As priests and rulers combined against them, and they were brought before councils and thrust into prison, the followers of Christ rejoiced ‘that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.’ Acts 5:41. They rejoiced to prove, before men and angels, that they recognized the glory of Christ, and chose to follow Him at the loss of all things.

“It is as true now as in apostolic days, that without the illumination of the divine Spirit, humanity cannot discern the glory of Christ. The truth and the work of God are unappreciated by a world-loving and compromising Christianity. Not in the ways of ease, of earthly honor or worldly conformity, are the followers of the Master found. They are far in advance, in the paths of toil, and humiliation, and reproach, in the front of the battle ‘against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.’ Ephesians 6:12, R. V. And now, as in Christ’s day, they are misunderstood and reproached and oppressed by the priests and Pharisees of their time.” The Desire of Ages, 508, 509.

9 If we are truly dead to self and risen with Christ, what effect does that have on us and those around us? Colossians 3:1–3, 12–14.

Note: “The soul that loves God, rises above the fog of doubt; he gains a bright, broad, deep, living experience, and becomes meek and Christlike. His soul is committed to God, hid with Christ in God. He will be able to stand the test of neglect, of abuse and contempt, because his Saviour has suffered all this. He will not become fretful and discouraged when difficulties press him, because Jesus did not fail or become discouraged. Every true Christian will be strong, not in the strength and merit of his good works, but in the righteousness of Christ, which through faith is imputed unto him. It is a great thing to be meek and lowly in heart, to be pure and undefiled, as was the Prince of heaven when He walked among men.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 907.

10 What shield are we to take above anything else and without which it is impossible to please God? Ephesians 6:16; Hebrews 11:6.

Note: “When self is hid in Jesus, we are shielded from the darts of the enemy.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 908.

Additional Reading

“Jesus does not present to His followers the hope of attaining earthly glory and riches, of living a life free from trial. Instead He calls upon them to follow Him in the path of self-denial and reproach. He who came to redeem the world was opposed by the united forces of evil. In an unpitying confederacy, evil men and evil angels arrayed themselves against the Prince of Peace. His every word and act revealed divine compassion, and His unlikeness to the world provoked the bitterest hostility.

“So it will be with all who will live godly in Christ Jesus. Persecution and reproach await all who are imbued with the Spirit of Christ. The character of the persecution changes with the times, but the principle—the spirit that underlies it—is the same that has slain the chosen of the Lord ever since the days of Abel.” The Acts of the Apostles, 576.

“There was never one who walked among men more cruelly slandered than the Son of man. He was derided and mocked because of His unswerving obedience to the principles of God’s holy law. They hated Him without a cause. Yet He stood calmly before His enemies, declaring that reproach is a part of the Christian’s legacy, counseling His followers how to meet the arrows of malice, bidding them not to faint under persecution.

“While slander may blacken the reputation, it cannot stain the character. That is in God’s keeping. So long as we do not consent to sin, there is no power, whether human or satanic, that can bring a stain upon the soul. A man whose heart is stayed upon God is just the same in the hour of his most afflicting trials and most discouraging surroundings as when he was in prosperity, when the light and favor of God seemed to be upon him. His words, his motives, his actions, may be misrepresented and falsified, but he does not mind it, because he has greater interests at stake. Like Moses, he endures as ‘seeing Him who is invisible’ (Hebrews 11:27); looking ‘not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen’ (II Corinthians 4:18).

“Christ is acquainted with all that is misunderstood and misrepresented by men. His children can afford to wait in calm patience and trust, no matter how much maligned and despised; for nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest, and those who honor God shall be honored by Him in the presence of men and angels.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 32.

Lesson Studies were prepared by Judy Hallingstad of the LandMarks staff. She can be contacted at judyhallingstad@stepstolife.org .

Positions Reversed

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Millions of God’s people have been persecuted and killed, both in ancient and in modern times. But the time is coming when the position of the oppressors and the persecuted will become completely reversed. Those who have been persecuted will receive their eternal inheritance, and those who have been the oppressors will be raised to receive their doom. On which side will you be? Each one of us will either be on one side or the other. How do you know on which side you will be?

The book of Revelation clearly predicts that as we approach the end of the world, the entire world will be deceived, but God’s children will not be deceived. This is spoken of over and over again in the latter chapters of the book of Revelation. Not only will the whole world be deceived, but the book of Revelation tells us that they will be deceived by evil spirits. The devil is the chief evil spirit, and he is the one who deceives the whole world in the last days by means of miracles. Read Revelation 13:13–17 and Revelation 16:13, 14.

People are also going to be induced to build an image to the beast. They will be commanded to worship this image, and if you do not worship this image, it will be decreed that you be killed. In Revelation 13:15, it says, “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”

Verses 16 and 17 continue: “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

If you do not worship the beast or receive his mark, you will not be able to buy or sell. This is very serious. When the powers of this world declare that you must worship God by worshiping the image to the beast, you must remember that the Ten Commandments say that you are not to worship any image. In Exodus 20:4–6, it says, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” This is clear instruction not to worship any image.

When the powers of this earth say that you must worship the image, or be killed, what is God going to do? The answer is given in Revelation 14:9–12: “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

Notice, God says that if you worship the beast and his image and receive his mark, you are going to receive of His wrath, undiluted. In other words, it will be unmixed with mercy. This has never happened before. All judgments of God in the world, up to the present time, have been mingled with mercy.

We are living in the day of mercy, the day of grace, called in the Bible, the day of salvation, as you can read in Isaiah 49:8: “Thus says the Lord: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard You, and in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages.’ ”

It is the acceptable time, a day of salvation for the person who has been sinning. When a person is sinning, he has been following the devil, because he who sins is of the devil (I John 3:8). During this time, a person who has been living in sin, following the devil, can decide to repent, to turn around, to be converted, and follow Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

If we follow Jesus Christ, we are to walk as He walked. He lived a holy life. We are to learn to live the way He lived. We are living in that day of grace, but the day of grace will not last forever.

When the world rejects the third angel’s message, as stated in Revelation 14:9–12, the day of grace will come to an end, and God’s wrath will be poured out. A description of this is found in Revelation 22:11, 12. It says, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”

The time is coming when you won’t be able to turn around. You won’t be able to forsake your life of sin and follow the Lord Jesus. Whatever condition you are in, you are going to stay that way. You are either saved or lost, and you are going to stay that way. You might be lost today, but we are not yet living in the time when probation is closed, so you still have the opportunity to turn around. You could choose to turn and follow the Lord Jesus. But when probation is closed, it will be too late for you to turn around. It will be too late to change your mind. You will either be saved or lost. And when that happens, then will be what the Bible calls, “the day of His wrath.”

Remember, the third angel’s message tells us that those who do not listen to this will receive God’s wrath unmixed with mercy, unmingled. What is God’s wrath? In Revelation 15:1 it says, “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.” If you reject the third angel’s message, then when probation closes, you will receive the wrath of God, and it is contained in the seven last plagues. “So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” Revelation 16:2.

Those who reject the Three Angels’ Messages will receive the seven last plagues, which are God’s unmingled wrath. They do not just receive the first plague; they receive the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and when the seventh plague is poured out, life in this world, as we know it, will come to an end.

Notice what it says in Revelation 16, starting with verse 17: “Then the seventh angel [this is the seventh plague] poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’ ” Notice, it is over now! “And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.” Verses 18–21.

Then the second coming of Christ will occur; the day and hour for the coming of Jesus will be announced from heaven [see “My First Vision,” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White (1922), 57–61], and when Jesus comes, it says in the Bible, every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7). Jesus said to His disciples, before He left them, “If I go away, I am going to prepare a place for you, and I am going to come again, and I am going to receive you to Myself” (John 14:2, 3).

The apostle Paul described this wonderful, exciting event in I Thessalonians 4:16, 17. He said, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

The Bible says, concerning God’s children, that, “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:16, 17.

In this world, in all ages, the chosen of Jesus Christ have been educated and disciplined in the school of trial. God’s children walk in narrow paths on this earth. Jesus said it is a narrow way that leads to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:14). God’s children, in this world, are purified in the furnace of affliction, and for Jesus’ sake, God’s children have endured opposition and hatred. The children of our Lord have followed Jesus through conflicts, trials terrible, and through self-denial, and they have experienced bitter disappointments. However, by their own painful experience, they have learned the evil of sin and of its power, its guilt, and its woe, and they look upon sin with abhorrence. A sense of the infinite sacrifice that the God of heaven made to cure sin will keep us humble forever. And it will fill our hearts with gratitude and praise for the One Who offered His life on Calvary’s cross to save us from sin and death.

If we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings here, we will be partakers of His glory in the future. The heirs of God, when Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven, will come from hovels, dungeons, scaffolds, mountains, deserts, from the caves of the earth and also from the caverns of the sea. In this world, as Paul says in Hebrews 11, they were destitute, afflicted, and tormented, because they followed Jesus. Millions of people have gone down to the grave, loaded with infamy, because they steadfastly refused to listen to the deceptive claims of Satan that had taken the world captive. By human tribunals they have been judged to be the vilest of criminals, but when Jesus comes, the Bible says, “God Himself is Judge.” Psalm 50:6.

At that time, the decisions of this earth will be reversed. The Bible tells us that the rebuke of His people He will take away. “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 25:8.

Isaiah 62:12 says, “And they shall call them The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called, Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken.” And also, “Proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes ….” That is talking especially about people who have been burned at the stake. “The oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:2, 3.

No longer will God’s children be feeble, afflicted, scattered, oppressed and tormented. From now on, the Bible says in I Thessalonians 4:17, they will “always be with the Lord.” They will stand before the throne of God, clad in richer garments than anyone in this world has ever worn. They will have crowns that are more glorious than any monarch of this world wears. The days of pain and weeping will be forever ended. The King of Glory will have wiped away every tear from every face. Every cause of grief will have been removed. They will wave palm branches and pour forth a song of praise, clear, sweet, and harmonious. In fact, the song of praise they will sing is recorded in the Bible in Revelation 7:10, 12. This is what it says they will sing: “Crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ … saying: ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever.’ ”

Are you going to be in that throng singing that song? In this world we can only begin to understand the wonderful theme of Redemption. With our finite comprehension, we may consider most earnestly the shame, the glory, the life, the death, the justice, and the mercy that meet in the cross.

With the utmost stretch of our mental powers, we cannot grasp the full significance of the plan of salvation or the cross of Jesus Christ. People in this world dimly comprehend the length and breadth and depth and height of redeeming love. The plan of salvation will not be completely understood, even when we are taken to heaven. It will take eternal ages for us to understand the love, the mercy and grace of God. Your happiness will be constantly increasing. You cannot afford to miss this.

The cross of Jesus Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Never will it be forgotten that He Whose power created and upheld unnumbered worlds in space—the Beloved of God, the Majesty of Heaven, the One Whom cherubim and seraphim delighted to adore, that Person—humbled Himself, to uplift fallen man. He came to this world and bore the guilt and shame of sin and the hiding of His Father’s face, until the woes of a lost world broke His heart and crushed out His life.

As we look upon Christ glorified, we will remember Christ crucified. The idea that the Maker of all the worlds, the arbiter of all destinies, should lay aside His glory and humiliate Himself from love to man, will always excite the wonder and adoration of the universe.

The Bible asks, “What do you conspire against the Lord? … affliction will not rise up a second time.” Nahum 1:9. The plan of salvation will work a permanent cure to the rebellion and disobedience of sin. As the nations of the saved look upon their Redeemer and see the eternal glory of the Father shining in His countenance, as they behold His throne, which is from everlasting to everlasting, and they know that His kingdom is to have no end (Daniel 7), they will break forth into a rapturous song.

We are told in Revelation 5:11–13 what heaven’s inhabitants are going to declare: “I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ ”

The mystery of the cross explains all other mysteries. When we look at the light that streams from Calvary, then the attributes of God that used to fill us with fear and awe begin to appear beautiful and attractive, because we see that mercy and tenderness and parental love blend with holiness, justice and power. While we behold the majesty of God upon His throne, high and lifted up, we will see in His character the gracious manifestations and comprehend, as never before, the significance of that endearing term by which Jesus taught us to address Him Who is in heaven, “Our Father.”

It is going to be seen, in the future, that God the Father, the One Who is infinite in wisdom, could devise no plan for the salvation of fallen man except the sacrifice of His Son. The compensation for this sacrifice is the joy of peopling the earth with ransomed beings, holy, happy and immortal. Jesus asked of His Father, in the Garden of Gethsemane, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39. And, the chief priests, when Jesus was on the cross, spoke the words inspired of them by the devil, “If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.” Matthew 27:42. Jesus could have come down from the cross. Jesus could have walked away from the Garden of Gethsemane. He could have left this world to perish in its guilt. But, because He did not walk away, because He did not come down from the cross, because He died on the cross to pay the price of sin, He has the authority and the right to forgive your sins, to cleanse you from all unrighteousness, if you confess them (I John 1:9). He has the right to give to you the gift of eternal life.

If we follow Jesus, we must obey His law; we must follow Him in holy living, but our obedience has nothing to do with merit. All merit for eternal life is of grace, none of works. Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith … not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9. It is a gift, but it is a gift that can be given only to those who are fit to receive it.

There are going to be some wonderful consequences of the Saviour’s conflict with the powers of darkness. It is going to be joy to the redeemed, redounding to the glory of God throughout all eternity. The big question is, Are you going to participate in this great salvation?

We do not comprehend what it means, because we do not live very long. How many people do you know who are over a hundred years old? We do not live very long in this world, but if you are saved, if you are redeemed, if you are taken to the Father’s house, you will then be given a life that measures with the life of God. You will be alive, not just a hundred years from now, not just a thousand years from now, not just ten thousand years from now; you will have a life that will never end. Can you comprehend the value of a gift like that? If you are given life that will last forever, that would have more value than you could write down or compute. It has infinite value.

The value of your soul is so great that the Father saw fit to send His Son to this world, to pay the price for your sins so that you could be restored and redeemed. The value of the soul is so great, that the Father is satisfied with the price that is paid. Not only is the Father satisfied with the price that is paid, but Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for your sins, will also be satisfied with the price paid. Notice what it says in Isaiah 53:11, 12: “He shall see the travail [labor] of His soul, and be satisfied. … Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Jesus will be satisfied. He wants to take you to that place and give to you eternal life. The question is, Will you let Him do it? Will you choose to be His disciple, to follow Him today, in obedience and holy living?

[Bible texts quoted are NKJV translation.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Sermon on the Mount Series – Right Seems Strange

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Some people are persecuted because of their wrong-doing and others, because they have stirred up resentment and opposition by their extreme or rigid ideas. However, others are persecuted because they have done what is right, which sounds strange.

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10 KJV). Before saying this, Jesus described the development of Christian character and then what would develop in the world and the attitude toward those who acquired this Christian character. Indeed, it is a strange reception that is accorded them.

When you first read the gospel story you might think that it would seem that such a character as Jesus had described—a person who is gentle, loves righteousness, is merciful, is pure in heart and who is a peacemaker—would be welcomed everywhere and that they would be congratulated on who they are. But Jesus said that it would be just the opposite. He declared that if you progressed up this beatitude ladder of spiritual growth, it would lead to opposition and persecution, that a genuine Christian character would stir up enmity and hatred on the part of other people in the world that did not have these virtues.

The Bible gives plentiful record that such is the case. Notice what the apostle Peter said about it in I Peter 5:8, 9: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Jesus predicted that the development of a genuine Christian character would lead up to enmity, hatred and persecution. The character development produced by the experience of a person who has followed these first seven beatitudes arouses the enemy of all righteousness and He begins to persecute. He is especially incensed when those who climb this ladder that Jesus has described reach the blessed realm of purity of heart, with a vision of God so that they are qualified to become peacemakers to other alienated and troubled souls. This makes the prince of strife and confusion furiously angry with these ambassadors of peace and he makes war upon them. His fiercest anger and his most relentless persecutions will be manifested against the remnant; that is, the last of the church that exists just before Christ returns.

In Revelation 12:12 it says, “… rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest (or the remnant) of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (verse 17).

The apostle Peter says in I Peter 1:1 that the reason genuine Christians are persecuted is because they are strangers and pilgrims in the earth. Notice what the apostle Paul said in Hebrews 11:13 describing the faithful people of God in past ages: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” They are living in a land which Satan, the great adversary, claims as his and over which he claims to be the prince and ruler. In 2 Corinthians 4:4 the devil is called the god of this world. His enemies are those who have renounced allegiance to him and his kingdom. His subjects are those who sin. “He who sins is of the devil” (I John 3:8, first part) for the devil has sinned from the beginning.

On this account, “… the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (verse 8, last part). Sin is breaking God’s law (I John 3:4). As long as you live in sin, the devil will give you comparative rest because you are part of his kingdom. But when you choose to renounce the kingdom of Satan, follow Jesus Christ, and become obedient to the laws of heaven, forsaking your life of sin, you become his enemy. He is angry because he has lost you as one of his subjects.

When you transfer your citizenship to heaven by choosing to follow Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as your Lord and Saviour, it will result in being subjected to his satanic wrath and persecution from which no real Christian can escape. Jesus said to His disciples, “… in the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He also said, “… the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20 KJV).

The persecution that Jesus foretold was not limited to only the disciples to whom He was speaking. Neither was it limited to the Christians of the 1st century or to any certain time period. Rather, notice what the apostle Paul says about it in 2 Timothy 3:12: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Just as Christ loves righteousness and hates lawlessness (Hebrews 1:9), Satan loves lawlessness and hates righteousness. In this rebellious world in which we live, vital holiness will provoke hatred and opposition, because holiness is a disturbing element. The light of truth always exposes the darkness of error. It sweeps away the black mantel that covers the sins of the ungodly and it makes manifest the necessity of a change, the need for a reform. This revelation may be welcomed by some, but it is resented by those who cling to their sins and do not want to change.

The apostle John wrote, “He who believes in Him (Christ) is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:18–20). That is the very same problem the Christian has faced in all ages, the same problem that Jesus Himself faced. Those that are not willing to forsake their lawless deeds begin to war against the truth and its advocates. So, hatred against truth and godliness is manifested by persecuting those that possess these things and are sanctified by the truth.

Now a question could be asked, If what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:12 is true—that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution—why is there comparatively little persecution in Christendom in the western world at the present time? This lack of persecution is especially true in the western world.

In the time of the apostles, the church of God suffered persecution, as recorded in the book of Acts and also in the epistles of Paul. Some of the epistles of Paul were actually written from a Roman prison. After the time of the apostles in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, there was persecution of the Christians by the pagan Roman Empire that lasted for 200 years or more.

Again, during that long period of history often called the Dark Ages, persecution raised its ugly head and millions of Christians were martyred in many parts of the world. Again, in the period of the Reformation of the 16th century, and again during the revivals in the time of John Wesley, there was persecution of the church. Persecution has appeared whenever there has been a revival of primitive godliness. The reason that there is so little persecution in the modern church today is because vital godliness is lacking.

Speaking to the church that would live in the last epochal period of Christian history Jesus says, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:15–20).

Notice what has happened. The church has compromised with the world and become lukewarm, conforming to worldly standards. Because there is so little vital godliness in the church, Christianity has become popular with the world and it awakens no opposition. A church that has lost its first love, so that it is lukewarm in its affection for both God and man, could hardly be expected to arouse the hatred of the enemy. He is so very well satisfied with the present spiritual condition of the church because he knows that few of its members have climbed the beatitude ladder.

Whenever there is a stir in the church and there is a development of primitive godliness, there will be a stir in the camp of the enemy. Let there be a revival of the faith and power of the apostolic church and there will be a revival of persecution. The enemy will become aroused as soon as the church begins to awake from its slumbering condition. But, of course, we must always remember, Jesus said, “Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” We are not talking about people that are persecuted because of their wrong-doing, because of the natural consequence of their own course of conduct. There are many today who think of themselves as martyrs. They are anxious for persecution, and they follow a course that brings persecution upon themselves. They are not happy unless they are creating resentment and stirring up opposition. This is especially true of certain extremists and fanatics. But that is not the persecution Jesus is talking about. He is talking about the persecution that results from a person being personally righteous.

Jesus declared when He was here that He was rejected and persecuted because He was not of the world and therefore different from the world. His godly life was a rebuke to sinners and it made them angry. They hated and persecuted Him because He was righteous and it exposed their unrighteousness. He was insulted, maligned, reproached, and finally murdered, not because they could find any evil in Him, but because they could not. In fact, at His trial, you recall, Pontius Pilate said three times that he found no fault in Him at all (John 18:38; 19:4, 6).

Jesus was crucified, not because they could find something wrong with Him, but because they could not. And Jesus said that His followers would receive the same treatment for the same reasons. Being like Christ they would be different from the world, and somehow, difference always awakens opposition. The genuine Christian, his very presence, his very life, is a reproof, a rebuke, to those who are selfish, to those who are proud, and they feel uncomfortable. An unselfish life offends them and arouses in them enmity and resentment. This last beatitude is the only one that Jesus enlarges upon. He emphasizes its importance with this statement in Matthew 5:11, 12 KJV: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

In these verses, Jesus explains what He means by persecution for righteousness’ sake. He enumerates some of the forms in which the persecution would come—reviling, saying evil against you—and He emphasizes the greatness of the reward. Sometimes when somebody is persecuted, we might be inclined to pity them or to sympathize with them, going through persecution. We might be inclined to pity ourselves if we are being persecuted and ill-treated by others, but Jesus offers His congratulations to those that are persecuted. He declares that “those that are persecuted for righteousness sake” should rejoice. This is true, first of all, because it is an evidence that we actually are the children of God, and we have become, thereby, a menace to Satan and his kingdom. The enemy never persecutes the lukewarm and the ungodly, but he tries rather to afflict those that live godly in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:12).

So, persecution is an evidence that the person being persecuted is climbing up the ladder of spiritual growth, that he is traveling the highway of holiness that leads to the Holy City, the celestial city of God. And Jesus assures us, if we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, that we have the kingdom of heaven, and that we can rejoice. Not only that, but He also tells us that there is another reason we can rejoice and that is because of the good company we are in. Jesus said, those that went before you, the prophets, they were persecuted as well (Matthew 5:12). The brunt of Satan’s attack has always been against God’s spokesmen, against His prophets.

Many of the prophets suffered martyrdom and all of them were opposed and persecuted because they were holy men of God acting as His spokesmen (2 Peter 1:19–21). It was the fate of prophets and sages to be rejected. The reason, of course, is because the world will not bear rebukes. When we study the life of the apostles, we find that all except one of the eleven apostles died for their faith, and that one suffered banishment to the isle of Patmos.

Many millions of Christians were persecuted and martyred during the pagan Roman persecutions. And many millions more, during what we call the Middle Ages or the Dark Ages. So, Jesus said, if you are persecuted, remember that you are in the company of the best people that have ever lived. To join the company of the persecuted, therefore, is cause not for sorrow, but for rejoicing. Another cause for rejoicing is that persecution is one of the best of all purifiers and developer of character.

When we study Christian history, we find over and over again that the church has always been in its purest and most godly state while passing through persecution, and therefore at such times the church had its greatest power. Why? Because godliness awakens opposition and Christian character develops faster and becomes more vigorous under the strain, under the opposition of being persecuted. Because godliness always precedes the persecution and the persecution then performs an important part of burning out the dross and perfecting Christian character, the two blend together. Persecution increases with the increase of godliness and vice versa. If you want to be ready to meet Jesus Christ when He returns to this world, you must be willing to follow Him through evil report as well as good report.

The book of Revelation describes those who live in the final generation and are ready to meet Jesus before He comes. In Revelation 7:13, as John provided details of a vision, he wrote, “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ ” John answers, “Sir, you know” (verse 14, first part). The elder tells him: “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (verse 14, last part).

If you want to be ready to meet Jesus when He returns, you must be ready, by His grace, to go through the great tribulation. The Bible is very clear that before Jesus comes again, there will be a time of trouble in this world such as has never been since there was a nation (Daniel 12:1). We are rapidly approaching that time. Now is the time for you and for me to prepare to go through it and to be ready to meet the Lord when He returns.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church of Free Seventh-day Adventists in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.