God's Message for His People
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Today's Text:
The devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Revelation 2:10
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The Message:
John had been closely associated with the Saviour during His life of ministry. He had heard His wonderful words and had seen His wonderful deeds, and his testimony was given in clear lines. Out of the abundance of a heart overflowing with love for Christ he spoke, and no power could stay his words. If we will study the epistles of John, we will understand why it was that this disciple could not be left in his old age to live in peace among his brethren. "That which was from the beginning," he writes, "which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." [1 John 1:1-3.].
"I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, O, do not this abominable thing that I hate. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness. ... Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the streets of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate as at this day." [Jeremiah 44:4-6.] A wicked ruler thought to silence John's testimony, and John was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. But his testimony was not silenced. The servant of God was preserved as were the three worthies in the fiery furnace. The Son of God was with him, abiding in his heart by faith.
Like his Master, John patiently submitted to every attempt to put him to death. When his enemies cast him into the cauldron of boiling oil, they thought to hear no more from him. But as the words of satanic origin were spoken, "Thus perish all who believe in that deceiver, Jesus Christ of Nazareth," John declared, "My Master patiently submitted to all that Satan and his angels could devise to humiliate and torture Him. He gave His life to save the world. He died that we might live. I am honored in being permitted to suffer for His sake. I am only a weak, sinful man, but Christ was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth." John's words, while suffering at the hands of his enemies, had an influence, and he was removed from the cauldron by the very ones who had cast him in.
It was after this that John was sent to the Isle of Patmos, where, separated from his companions in the faith, his enemies supposed that he would die from hardship and neglect. But John made friends and converts even there. They thought that they had at last placed the faithful witness where he could no longer trouble Israel or the wicked rulers of the world. But all the heavenly universe saw the result of the conflict with the aged disciple and his separation from his companions in the faith.
God and Christ and the heavenly host were John's companions on the Isle of Patmos. From them he received instruction that he imparted to those separated with him from the world. There he wrote out the visions and revelations he received from God, telling of the things that would take place in the closing period of this earth's history. When his voice would no longer witness for the truth, when he could no longer testify of the One he loved and served, the messages given to him on that rocky, barren coast were to go forth as a lamp that burneth. Every nation, kindred, tongue, and people would learn the sure purpose of the Lord, not concerning the Jewish nation merely, but every nation upon the earth.-Manuscript 150, 1899.
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Commentary:
My friend, though John had been persecuted and finally exiled to the island of Patmos, he was not separated from His Savior. By His Spirit, Christ was with His faithful servant. The promise that Jesus had given before His ascension to heaven was fulfilled. "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18), "and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20). By His Spirit He was with John through all of his trials and his exile.
In the same manner, the promise is for us today. By His Spirit Christ is with us through all of our trials and tribulations. The Comforter that was sent by the Father is not the Spirit of another, but is the very Spirit of Christ, our personal Savior. Yet today, through the doctrine of the trinity, the church teaches that it is not the Spirit of Christ, but the spirit of another being called God the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. This being, who did not come in the flesh, does not know what it is like to battle with sin, is supposed to be our comforter? Christ is our Comforter, for He did come in sinful flesh and knows first hand the battle that we face. He was victorious over sin, and He seeks to impart His victory in our lives today.
Today the church is truly in the Laodicean condition. It has embraced the trinity as God and as such has a form of godliness, but denies the power of God to overcome sin. The church is worshiping the false god of Babylon. Of this the Faithful and True Witness says "...and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" (Revelation 3:17). Those who dare to point out the truth of the One true God, are persecuted within the church. They are ridiculed, derided, and eventually run out of the church. Like John, they are exiled from the church, thinking that their voices have been silenced, but there voice is not silenced. Christ is with them and their voices can never be silenced.
My friend, the time is come for us to choose which side we are on. Either we are on the side of Christ, the Son of the One true God, or we are on the side of the corporate church. Will we harken to the Word of God in the Holy Scriptures, or will we follow the doctrines of the church? How we answer this question will determine our destinies for all eternity.
God bless,
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Video of the Week
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| Trinity Problems - Imad Awde (WA) |
The question has been asked "What is wrong with the trinity? Why make such a big fuss about it?" In this presentation Imad highlights 20 problems in the trinity and presents a 60 year old challenge for all protestants.
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