Today’s Reading: Revelation 13:1-14:13; Psalm 140

Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.
Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison.
Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword.
This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. – Revelation 13:10b

ENDURE PERSECUTION PATIENTLY

As the dragon stood on the shore beside the sea, a hideous beast arose from the water. The dragon gave the beast his own power, his own throne and great authority. The beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God and was given authority to do whatever he wanted for 42 months. The beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And all the people who belonged to the world worshiped the beast.

Then a second beast came up out of the earth performing miracles that deceived all the people who belong to this world. The beast commanded the people to make a statue of the first beast then commanded all the people to worship the statue, which had come to life and now had the ability to speak. The people were given a mark on their right hand or forehead – the mark of the beast (13:17).

Then John saw the lamb standing on Mount Zion with the 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name on their foreheads. They had kept themselves pure and had been purchased as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. Then the angels proclaimed to all the people of the earth to fear God and worship Him only. They foretold the destruction of Babylon for forcing the nations to drink of her passionate immorality. Those who have the mark of the beast will drink of God’s anger and they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur forever and ever (14:1-11).

This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!” – Rev. 14:12-13

ENDURE PERSECUTION PATIENTLY

I look around at everything happening in the world and I ask how we got to this point. John’s Revelation holds the answer. For a time the defeated Satan is allowed to unleash his anger on God’s people. God cares for His people and provides escape for them at times (12:6,14), but we live with the understanding that we must endure persecution patiently, maintaining our faith in God at all times. And for this allegiance to Jesus, we will be blessed and there will be rest. And we hold this promise from God:

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. – 1 Corinthians 10:13