28. Apostasy and Persecution
April 2007
Topics:
Why? Why? Why?
God’s People Suffer
Jesus Christ Suffered Persecution
The Christian Church
The Reformation
History is Repeated
Promises of Protection
God made the everlasting covenant before the foundation of the world. He repeated the covenant for succeeding generations. At the time of the restoration from captivity He promised the "new covenant," another term for the everlasting covenant given in Jeremiah, and repeated in Hebrews. The basis for the covenant is the law of God, and the power of the covenant is Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Then, little more is said—or have we missed something? The four gospels use different terms and it may not be easy to see. Did Jesus have a covenant? Were the disciples given a covenant? Are we today under the covenant?
The priesthood of Jesus Christ in Heaven is given in Hebrews. What can we find from Jesus and the apostles?
18 "And Jesus
came and spake unto
them, saying, All
power is given unto
me in heaven and in
earth.
19 "Go ye
therefore, and teach
all nations,
baptizing them in
the name of the
Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy
Ghost:
20 "Teaching them
to observe all
things whatsoever I
have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto
the end of the
world. Amen"
(Matthew 28:18-20).
8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
In these verses we find the elements of the covenant. Jesus will make of them a kingdom of priests to take the gospel to the world. Based on the law, they were to make an holy nation, teaching what Jesus had commanded. The same power they had seen in healing and raising the dead would accompany their work and make it successful. They were given the earth as their mission field. And most important, Jesus would always be with them, through the Holy Spirit (John 14 and 15).
In Revelation we find Jesus walking among the candlesticks, His churches (Rev 1:13, 20). He has messages to the seven churches, covering seven periods of time from Pentecost until He comes the second time. As Jesus looks ahead, He sees the church assailed by heresies, divisions, persecutions, and human failures. He commends the churches for their strengths. He rebukes the churches for their failures. Always He urges His people to "overcome" and receive His promises.
The church starts out well. After the last apostle dies, heresies begin to come into the church. There are divisions. There is persecution of all kinds, first from the Jews, then from the heathen, then from the medieval state church. It is difficult for us today to understand the severity and the prolongation of this persecution, or why it should be allowed to occur.
Revelation chapter twelve describes a war in heaven. At about the time of Christ, Satan the dragon is finally cast out into the earth, and the war is carried on with increased intensity on earth.
God blessed His people Israel. He prospered them and intended to make them "the head and not the tail" (Deuteronomy 28:13) in all human endeavors. The actual history of ancient Israel was of prosperity when they obeyed God and famine, drought, and oppression by foreigners when they forsook Him. Has the history of the Christian church been different? We don’t know. Has even the Remnant church lived up to the light given? It seems that God must be sparing in who He prospers. Most of us must learn obedience through suffering (Hebrews 2:10). We have these questions:
• Why would a
sovereign God permit
His church, the
Bride of Christ, to
be ravaged and torn
by dissension and
apostasy?
• Why would a
sovereign God not
protect His true
followers from
persecution?
• Why does a sovereign God allow suffering, disease, war, and death?
These are difficult questions. We human beings do not have all the answers. There are a few answers we often consider, but even these seem inadequate.
2. Much of our trouble we bring on ourselves.
3. All who live godly shall suffer persecution.
4. The honor of God is the central issue in the great controversy between Christ and Satan. God, who knows the end from the beginning will sometimes protect from trouble, will sometimes allow trouble to demonstrate His grace, power and love.
5. The experience of some of us who have lived through World War II and the years since then will recognize that Christianity will often shine brightest under adversity.
1. Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree. This was a simple act, almost trivial. Yet from this all the woe, trouble, and death on this earth ensue. What do we see in this? God gave a specific command which was disobeyed. God is the life-giver. To separate from Him is to choose death. Yet God is loving and merciful and a plan was immediately implemented whereby Jesus would come, meet the demands of the law, and pay the price of death for man. Mankind would be reconciled to God. In the meantime, man must suffer the consequences of his sin.
2. Abel was careful to offer a lamb, exactly as God had instructed. His sacrifice was accepted. Cain thought to offer a "superior" sacrifice, the best of the fruit from his trees. In this, Cain chose his own way, not the will of God. God could not accept his sacrifice. In this very early event, the enmity of the wicked for the righteous was shown. Cain was downcast and angry, and murdered his brother.
Immediately, the world divided into two classes—those who obeyed God, the followers of Seth, and those who ignored or hated God, the followers of Cain. There was some cross-over, but because of the sinful nature of man, more of the righteous chose sin, than otherwise. The time came when "every imagination of the thoughts of his (man’s) heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5).
3. The earth was filled with violence, sin, and rebellion against God. He found Noah, a righteous man, and instructed him to build an ark. Yet after 120 years, it was only Noah and his family who were saved from the flood. Could the ark have held more? Or did God intend that other arks also be built?
4. Job was "that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and escheweth (avoids) evil" (Job 1:1). Behind the scenes there was a dialogue between Satan and God. God allowed Job to suffer to show that righteous Job truly loved God, and not just for the blessings he received. His trust in God was such that "though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him" (Job 13:15).
5. John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah. He began preaching in the wilderness near the Jordan. People came to him from all over the country. As a forerunner of the Messiah, He called the people to repentance. He was not afraid to tell people that they were sinners, including Herod himself. For this he was put in prison. See Matthew 3:1-10 and Luke 3:1-20.
He was a cousin of Jesus, but Jesus did nothing to release him from prison. He was shortly beheaded by Herod. John was the first Christian martyr. Jesus spoke very highly of him, calling him "more than a prophet" and "greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 11:7-11).
Why would Christ not perform a miracle to release John? If he had done so, he would have given credence to Satan’s charge against God about Job:
10 "Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11 "But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face" (Job 1:9-11).
Jesus showed that God is very concerned with the suffering of His people. He is very much with them at all times, and there is a special reward for those who thus suffer. This is a comfort to all those who suffered persecution in later ages.
Jesus Christ suffered Persecution
Jesus suffered persecution all through His life on earth. He accepted His lot of toil and poverty without complaint. He had to face the charge his being illegitimate. Jesus said unto them, "Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God" (John 8:41).
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus spoke of persecution as a blessing. Persecution for Jesus’ sake is even an evidence that a person is living right!
10 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matthew 5:10-12).
The people loved His miracles, but did not understand His mission to die a sacrifice for sin until after the resurrection. The ultimate persecution was His rejection, the trial and crucifixion, and his sense of being abandoned as His disciples fled and it seemed that even the Father forsook Him. But Jesus had a faith that did not fail, and at the end He could say, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). That is the faith that Christians need today.
Why the trouble and persecution? If the world hated Jesus, it will hate Christians too. We are offered a fellowship with Jesus in suffering. Is the gospel a pearl of great price, or is it something we can take only if convenient? Jesus has shown that only a full undivided commitment is acceptable to Him. Jesus told the church at Smyrna, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life" (Rev 2:10). Jesus has a special reward for those who show a special commitment to Him.
Many in the early church expected Jesus to return in their day. This was cause for excitement in some areas. Then Paul made it clear that there would be apostasy in the church before Jesus would come again.
The Reformation intensified the persecution for awhile, then the world enjoyed a period of freedom. Missionary societies were formed, and the gospel was carried to the world. The wealth of the Christian nations increased greatly, but the time came when "they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not" (Hebrews 8:9).
With increasing wealth, people lost interest in Bible study, and were quite willing to accept any doctrine that was pleasing to the ear. There was an increase in crime, society began to break down. There was increasing trouble on the horizon. With their wealth, the governing class insulated themselves, and delegated responsibility to the politicians. Each generation put off trouble to the next. How long could it last?
In the belief system of most Christian bodies, there will again be persecution and a "time of trouble." There is controversy over the form of this time of trouble, and over what the issues will be. There are some prophecies that are pertinent to this:
14 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14).
17 "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17).
15 "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:15-17).
4 "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4).
To talk of trouble and persecution is not popular or politically correct. Nor does it help to spend too much time thinking about it. However, to ignore the portents and fail to make preparation can lead to disaster, personal and in general. Of most importance is that NOW is the day of salvation. We cannot look forward to a "second chance" (Romans 13:11; 2 Corinthians 6:2).
God has promised protection for His people. Psalm ninety one is especially for the time of trouble. In the covenant with Abraham God promised to be "his shield."
1 "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward" (Genesis 15:1).
There will be a time when God gives special help and protection for His people.
17 "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD" (Isaiah 54:17).
And whatever happens, Jesus says, "lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28:20). When can the Christian claim the promise for protection and when must he accept persecution, even death? An excellent answer is given by Daniel’s three Hebrew friends as they faced Nebuchadnezzar. Their answer is that God is fully able to deliver from persecution and death. But, even if He should choose not to do so, they would still choose to serve Him!
17 "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 "But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3:16-18).
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