They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’ " (Zechariah 13:9, insertion mine). Now not onl… | Persecution Sunday, Day 2. According to His infinite wisdom and love, God is able to achieve things for and through His saints when they are persecuted that He cannot achieve otherwise. He [the leopard-like beast] was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. But why does God allow suffering? It's common to wonder if our suffering is God… Trials teach us to be more thankful. This is also why we are able to echo the Scriptures saying, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” [2 Cor. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. Posted on by Mission India Nov 6, 2017 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” [James 1:2-4] God protects our salvation and also knows what will truly satisfy and bring us joy. Instead, it wants pleasure, luxury, and the "easy life." WUAS is not a church, nor does it endorse any denomination. You have asked a very good question that I have asked myself. When the threshold for being a Christian is easy, religion mutates and the gospel suffers. On Nov. 21, 1980, when the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas burned, survivors were brought into the Convention Center, where our Crusade meetings were being held. (John 16:1-4), Looking into the future, the Bible warns that God’s saints are going to be persecuted: "The [leopard-like] beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. The fires of persecution separate the faith-full (the gold) from the faith-less (the dross). Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked [alone] with God." How Does God turn persecution into blessing? The issue of why God allows suffering, death, pain, and sorrow is one of the most challenging questions ever asked. The final benefit that comes from persecution is exclusion. Why Would God Allow Suffering for Faith? "The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God . This forces believers to worship God and meet with other believers in secret. Yet God calls His people to suffer persecution, and God has repeatedly used persecution to strengthen His church and advance the Gospel in the world. Your article on the rapture is a challenge. I like to call God’s desert training, "Desert University." Aaron writes, "There’s something perverse about Human Nature that we are most likely to respond favourably to the Gospel during times of great hardship." God’s saints would serve God even if there is nothing beyond this life. I have found some points from Scripture that may be helpful to you in your own search for truth. I am confident the Holy Spirit moved Mr. Gibson to…, Terrorism – A Sign of the End? In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve freely disobeyed God, and sin entered the world. The sixth angel sounded his trumpet . One issue bothers me a great deal. Not too many would say that sounds appealing, but we see throughout Scripture how trials and persecution have caused the church to grow exponentially and allowed deep hope and faith to blossom within believers. As a result, whatever difficulty, challenge, or suffering you may be going through need not be wasted. How are we to respond? He was willing to die on the altar without resistance or complaint. What does the Bible say the future holds? (Remember that Jesus uttered the phrase "Father forgive them" on the cross (Luke 23:34), and Stephen uttered the same phrase when the stones were flying. -2 Timothy 3:12 We can see in so many places in the Bible where God's people were persecuted and even killed! If you do this, several pieces of the puzzle may "snap together" and make a lot more sense the second time around. Each believer must assemble God’s truth for himself and live according to what he believes is right and true. This is the element in Isaac’s story that is so amazing. If necessary, food falls from the sky and water flows from rocks. (Revelation 13:5-7, italics and insertion mine), Those who stand up for righteousness are often persecuted. In addition, God will allow Christians to suffer persecution because this can be a powerful witness to the truth of the Gospel. God’s people often find themselves all alone in their faith experience. (Matthew 26:35). When the mob rushed into the garden to lay hands on Jesus, Peter whipped out his knife and a scuffle ensued. We all face suffering in some way, shape or form. Already, six of the seven churches in Asia Minor were corrupted by false doctrines, but the church at Philadelphia was hanging on. For reasons beyond the scope of this article, this prophecy was fulfilled during the Dark Ages. Most of the time it comes from a staunch pretribber who is not really wanting to find a solution to the dilemma he thinks this question portrays. She was a wonderful person, my best friend. ." And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation." . Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Because religion mutates quickly, God allowed the devil to chase His people into the desert for 1,260 years. 3. When a person is exiled to the desert, he has to depend upon God for everything. Answer: Satan’s attacks against us come in various forms. The general argument is that, if God is good and benevolent, He would not permit innocent people to endure suffering and pain. All study materials are based solely on the Bible alone. " In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter was bold, ready to die for his Lord. Allowing persecution to produce faith and joy in our lives is just one example of His grace to us. James 1:2-4 offers an insightful look: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 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