I
know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I
know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but
are the synagogue of Satan. (Revelation 2:9 KJV)
Now the Lord God Almighty says, "I KNOW." There He is walking in the
midst of His people. There He is, the Chief Shepherd of the flock. But
does He hold back the persecution? Does He stem the tribulation? No, He
does not. He simply says, "I KNOW your tribulation--I am not at all
unmindful of your suffering." What a stumbling block this is to so many
people.
Like Israel they wonder if God really loves them. How can God be
just and loving if He stands by and watches His people suffer? That is
what they asked in Malachi 1:1-3, "The burden of the Word of the Lord to
Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet we say,
Wherein hast Thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the
Lord: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and
his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness." You see, they
could not figure out God's love. They thought that love meant no
suffering. They thought that love meant a baby with parental care. But
God said that His love was "elective" love. The proof of His love is
ELECTION--that no matter what happened, His love was proven truly by the
fact they were chosen unto salvation (because God hath chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth).
He may commit you to death as He did Paul. He may commit you to
suffering as He did Job. That is His prerogative. He is sovereign. But
it is all with a purpose. If He did not have a purpose, then He would be
the author of frustration and not of peace. His purpose is that after
we have suffered awhile we would be made perfect, be established,
strengthened and settled. As Job said, "He puts strength in us." (Job
23:6b) You see He, Himself, suffered. He learned obedience by the things
that He suffered. He was actually made perfect by the things that He
suffered. Hebrews 5:8-9, "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience
by the things which He suffered; And being made perfect, He became the
author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him." In plain
language, the very character of Jesus was perfected by suffering. And
according to Paul He has left His church a measure of suffering that
they, too, by their faith in God while suffering for Him, would come to a
place of perfection. Why did He want this? James 1:2-4, "My brethren,
count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this,
that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have
her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
Why does He stand by? The reason is in Romans 8:17-18, "And if
children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so
be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. For I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
Unless we suffer
with Him we cannot reign with Him. You have to suffer to reign. The
reason for this is that character simply is never made without
suffering. Character is a VICTORY, not a gift. A man without character
can't reign because power apart from character is Satanic. But power
with character is fit to rule. And since He wants us to share even His
throne on the same basis that He overcame and is set down in His
Father's throne, then we have to overcome to sit with Him. And the
little temporary suffering we go through now is not worthy to be
compared to the tremendous glory that will be revealed in us when He
comes. Oh, what treasures are laid up for those who are willing to enter
into His kingdom through much tribulation. "Think it not strange
concerning the fiery trials that are to try you." That is what Peter
said. Is it strange that God wants us to develop a Christ-like character
that comes through suffering? No sir. And we all have trials. We are
all tried and chastened as sons. Not one but goes through that. The
church that is not suffering, and is not being tried, hasn't got it--it
isn't of God.
Heb. 12:6, "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons."
"Love suffereth long and is kind." Matthew 5:11-12, "Blessed are ye,
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad:
for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets
which were before you."
Smyrnaean Church Age - William Branham
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