FAITH UNDER FIRE
by Dr. Ralph L Keiper
I N t h e W ord of God, we have some definite signs given by the Lord Jesus Christ concerning that future portion of the world’s history which prophetic Scripture refers to as the Great Tribulation. In His Olivet Dis course three s e p a r a t e s i gns are brought to our attention by the Sav iour. First of all it will be a time of persecution as indicated in Matthew 24:9 and 10. Then it will be a time of great indifference, spoken of in the same chapter, verses 11 through 13. Finally, it will be a time of great proclamation. The Gospel of the king dom will be preached throughout the world, as indicated in the 14th verse of Matthew 24. In the first portion it is “faith under fire.” The Lord points out to His disciples, as representatives of the Jewish race, that Israel for her faith, will endure great persecution. This is in the end time, after the Lord Jesus has come and removed His Church from the earth. Many of Israel will become the missionaries of that day. We read in Matthew 24:9, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” One of the great tragedies of Gen tile history has been its unfortunate hatred for the Jew. Any well instruct ed Christian will never be anti-Semi tic in any way whasoever. An individ ual who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as his own personal Saviour has a great place in his heart for those who are of the house of Israel. Then, prophetically, the persecution will be caused because Israel will be faithful to the God of their fathers. For notice the expression “and ye shall be hated of all nations.” The reason they will be hated in this com ing day is not only because they are Jews but also because, as the text says, “for my name’s sake.” It is
interesting to study the history of the world from the time of our Lord to the present hour and to see how many times this great people have been persecuted by one another. The term “tribulation” or “afflic tion,” as we have it in the authorized text, is an agricultural term. It has to do with the flailing of wheat in order that the kernels might be sepa rated from the chaff. The parallel pas sage in Luke 21:12 states, “But be- THE BREVITY OF OUR OPPORTUNITY Father, I scarcely dare to pray, So clear I see, now it is done, That I have wasted half my day, And left rpy work but just begun. So clear I see that things I thought Were right or harmless were a sin: So clear I see that I have sought, Unconscious, selfish aims to win. So clear I see that I have hurt The souls I might have helped to save, That I have slothful been, inert Deaf to the calls Thy leaders gave. In outskirts of Thy Kingdom vast, Father, the humblest spot give me: Set me the lowliest task Thou hast, Let me repentant, work for Thee. — Helen Hunt Jackson (It was just jour days after she wrote these words that the author went into the presence of the Lord. Could we say the same thing without hypocrisy in our hearts?) fore all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, de livering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought be fore kings and rulers for my name’s sake.” This refers to the great cata- cylsmic events which are to occur upon the earth spoken of in this en tire important prophetic chapter. The intensity of this persecution is indi
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker