The Daily Word of Righteousness

Judgment and Rewards, #36

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:9-11)

"Here is the patience of the saints" (Revelation 14:12).

This refers back to Revelation 3:10, "hast kept the word of my patience."

"Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12).

In order to escape the deceptions of Antichrist we must (1) exercise patience while in our "prison"; (2) keep the commandments of God; and (3) keep the faith of Jesus.

Some are teaching today that this is not referring to Christians because Christians are not obligated to keep the commandments of God. This is a departure from God's holy Word.

Compare:

And hereby we do know we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (I John 2:3,4)

By this we know that all who are teaching that Christians are not obligated to keep God's commandments given through Christ are liars.

The same John who wrote Revelation 14:12 wrote also I John 2:3,4. There is great deception among the Christian people today: deception concerning the nature of the Judgment Seat of Christ; deception concerning the way in which grace operates in the Christian redemption; deception concerning what the Scriptures teach concerning judgment and rewards; deception concerning the coming of Christ, the Day of the Lord. The resurrection to eternal life is not being preached as being the goal of our efforts.

We can escape from deception if we will turn to Jesus, repent of our sins, and take up our cross and follow Him.

But if we choose instead to continue in the delusion that all of us will be raptured out of trouble no matter how we behave ourselves, and that we all will be rewarded in the Day of Christ, receiving the good we have done but not the bad (although this is in violation of the written Word), we will be deceived continually until we have been raised from the dead and face a frowning Christ instead of a crowning Christ.

What will it be for you, a crown or a frown?

It can be a crown. But you will have to turn to Christ immediately and ask His help in escaping from the watered-down, lukewarm, pleasure-loving, sinful, rebellious behavior that characterizes so many of the "Christian believers" of our day.

To be continued.