“For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.” (Mark 14:56)
I have a tee shirt with Romans 1:16 on the back of it, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” And on the front it states, “This shirt is illegal in fifty-three countries.” Wearing or even owning it in those nations will cause you to be questioned by the authorities, removed from the public, imprisoned and possibly tortured and killed. I wear it often to the marketplace in the hopes of a response from others, and am still free to do so, but that may change.
“Never offend” is now the battle cry of the wicked, never judge is their motto, and what is found offensive by them they have coerced legislative bodies to enact laws against. It enables them in some fashion to feel less the shame they know to be a truth within themselves.
I cannot yet conceive of a cataclysmic event that would cause the majority of the populace of any nation, or even all nations where those who are born-again will be hunted down and imprisoned, I cannot envision a singular event, or even a series of events that would cause this to occur. I know the truth of Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” and that this will indeed happen during the days of Jacob’s Troubles for those the Living God will call to Himself during that time, but before those who have been crucified with Christ are removed from this earth to meet Him in the air, I can foresee no circumstances where the entire world will turn against us.
But because it has not been revealed to me or to others does not mean it will not happen.
As is the days of Noah and the days of Lot, these are the times we find ourselves in, and we expect the return of the Lord for us as much as the first century Christians did, perhaps more, but that is not to be our main focus.
I will offer you my points of conjecture, and please remember, that is all they are, no new revelation has been revealed to me or anyone else, the Words of God are completed, all He has to say to us has been written down for us.
Fear is one of our adversaries’ greatest weapons, and the fear of death is at the top of that list. “And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.” (Job 2:4) A short, quick thermonuclear war that destroys the entire western hemisphere, along with China and much of those nations in what we call the East. Only the boundaries of the old Roman Empire will remain.
For the man of sin to step onto the scene and be recognized, falsely, as the savior of the world, a cataclysmic event must occur, and he alone will hold the answers to the world’s problems.
I bring all this to your attention today for only one reason, and that reason finds its fulness in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Whether a slow, methodical and very subtle path is followed to cause the world to hate those who have given their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, or the blame is laid at their feet for the death of millions, it should not matter to us.
Pray for those who are being persecuted today, if you are serving the Lord Jesus Christ for the glory of God, prepare to be persecuted, but do not spend the majority of your time looking for the next “newest sign,” and do not let your imagination run wild, do not spend time in those conjectures.
Continue to seek the face of God, reaching out to the lost, and preparing your heart to meet the Savior. We are safe in His hands.
