- Aug 10, 2006
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I'm not suggesting, nor is anyone else, God would turn his back on his children. He didn't turn his back on the prophets of old who were forced to live in caves or tortured and killed for speaking the truth, or Jesus, or Paul, Peter, Thomas, and the many other countless followers who were imprisoned, beaten, tortured and otherwise horribly treated by their oppressors. No more then He's turned his back on the believer's in areas of the world where being a Christian will get your hands cut off, or your head, or your breasts, etc., depending on your gender and whose doing the oppressing.
Christians, in Russia, China, Africa, India, etc., etc., have suffered violence, torture, mutilation and death for the profession of faith. I don't believe God turned His back on them.
For some reason which is beyond my comprehension at this time, we are called to be willing to allow ourselves to be led to the slaughter without physical resistance. I have a glimpse of its meaning and believe one transcends normal consciousness entering more fully into the consciousness, awareness and reality of God when one suffers in such a manner. However, I can't imagine desiring it to happen.
Regarding not suffering his wrath: Those things which befall the non-repentant do not befall believers who live during that time. There will be believers during that time. Are those converts during that time or are they you and I? Apparently we shall see and perhaps very shortly.
Hopefully the pre-trib people have it right. That's one area of scriptural interpretation I'd love to be wrong about. I believe we go through the tribulation and are persecuted unto death for our faith. However, like I said, hope I'm wrong. It's only my opinion. Regardless, either by death or by rapture we need to be ready. It seems one or the other isn't to far off.
PEACE,
JWN
I agree with you wholeheartedly, other than I am convinced that we are going to go through the tribulation and I have no doubt on the matter. I think a great Biblical example of this, other than the ones you already noted, is the story of the Exodus. I believe that to be somewhat of an example of what is coming, with the "Promised Land" being heaven or the Lord's earthly reign on earth during the Milenium. The children of Israel were right there when Egypt had all those plagues, yet I believe they were spared all of them with the exception of maybe the first two. The Bible does say that judgment begins with the house of the Lord, so the church is not going to be entirely spared the judgment of God. God has judged his people all through history in order to bring them back into a right relationship with himself. It is just that in America we are spoiled and we think, for some reason, that just because we claim to know Jesus that somehow we should be spared suffering for him. He wants a holy people and that comes through the "refiner's fire." The "wrath" of God that true believers will be spared is "hell." God disciplines those he loves and punishes those... we need the discipline of God here in America in order to bring revival to the church which has lost its way, for the most part.
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