Are you willing to undergo persecution for the sake of Christ? I'm not talking about your friend makin' cracks at you because you have a cross around your neck, or the flippant driver mocking you because of the Jesus fish that sticks to the bumper of your car. What I mean by persecution is this: to die an earthly death. Are you willing to die for Jesus? If you're feeling a bit uneasy, it's because you're human. Now, I'm not here to tell you whether you will undergo physical suffering in this life because of "The Great Tribulation" that we've been reading about, but I'm also not saying it won't happen. I'm not sure, neither does any scholar. They have their ideas... but only God knows, and we will- when the end of the world happens. Are we going through tribulation right now? Possibly. Is it coming? More than likely. The reason I'm asking this tense question is because in verse 7 of this chapter it says that, "Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them." Now although this beast has the authority- given only by God- to "conquer" believers, he may only take away the earthly life, because as a believer you inherit eternal life. Some people on earth who do not belong to Jesus might think they have won- persecuting Christians, even to their death- but their foolishness will overthrow them to the lake of fire. They can take away this life- but not the one to come. Verse 10 says this unsettling truth: "If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints." YIKES! I'm sure people in the end of days will kill with something other than a sword- but still! Will you stand firm in your faith and in your identity with Jesus even if someone approaches you with a sword? Will you deny Christ and give up your eternal life because of your earthly life? You think a lake of fire is more rewarding than streets of gold? How much does He mean to you? Jesus gave His life, will you give Him yours?
~Leanne~
~Leanne~
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