QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
This page is devoted to questions we receive from visitors to our site. Our answers here are designed to be brief and to the point, but more in-depth information on any of these subjects is available upon request.
Question: Can we say ANYTHING with certainty, or is it ALL through faith?
Reply: That's a good question, and it may very well boil down to faith alone:
How do we KNOW that there is a God?
How do we KNOW that the seventh day we keep now is the one instituted by God at the beginning?
How do we KNOW that ever Yahshua lived and that He died for our sins?
How do we KNOW that the new moon is to be judged by the crescent, or that it is really even the beginning of a Biblical month or that the lunar months and Holy Days even matter?
How do we KNOW that if there is a God, He isn't some kind of twisted prankster?
How do we KNOW that the Bible hasn't been tampered with and what we're reading is irredeemably corrupted?
How do we even KNOW that we're alive in this world, and not just some very vivid figment of someone else's imagination?
We can only choose to believe that there is a benevolent God, and then trust Him after that to give us everything we need to know Him and His will for us. To do anything else is to accept and validate futility and irrationality - something neither we nor any other rational person or group can do.
If there is no God, we have no hope. And our hope lives, as I know yours does.
Question: Do you believe that Yahshua was the fulfillment of the symbolism of Passover and the Passover lamb? Why or why not?
Reply: Yes, we do believe that Yahshua fulfilled all he symbolism of Passover, and for a variety of reasons.
The clearest indication that the Passover lamb pointed to Yahshua as its fulfillment can be found in 1 Cor. 5:7 - "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even the Messiah our Passover is sacrificed (or slain) [for us]." Though there are some who claim that this passage is mistranslated and does not mean what it says, a comparison of numerous different translations, including the Jewish New Testament, the NIV, Young's Literal Translation of the Bible, and The Holy Bible from the Ancient Eastern Texts, shows that all offer the same interpretation - that Yahshua as the Messiah was the fulfillment of Passover symbolism, including that of the Passover lamb.
In addition, 1 Pet. 1:19 refers to Yahshua as a lamb "without blemish or spot": center references point to Exodus 12:5 which in speaking of selecting the Passover lamb says, "Your lamb shall be without blemish..." Indeed, the very fact that Yahshua died on 14 Abib, Passover day, points to His fulfillment of Passover (see John 19:14 and our article "What Was Preparation Day?" on our Calendar page.)
Also, as Yahshua is upon the stake after His death, John tells us that His legs were not broken by the Roman soldiers in order that "the Scripture should be fulfilled, 'A bone of him shall not be broken.'" While this probably refers to Ps. 34:20 - "He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken" - it very likely also hearkens to Ex. 12:46 and Num. 9:12, both of which concern the Passover lamb: "...neither shall ye break a bone thereof" and "They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it..."
The purpose of the Passover lamb was to save the firstborn sons of Israel from death in Egypt (Ex. 12:6, 7, & 12-13) - in effect the lamb was slain in order to bring salvation to those firstborn sons. Romans 8:29 refers to Yahshua as "firstborn among many brethren", while Heb. 12:22 & 23 tell us "...ye are come unto...the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are are written in heaven..." It is clear that all who become sons of God (John 1:12) are considered firstborn sons along with Yahshua. With this knowledge in hand, we can easily see that Yahshua gave His own life in order to bring salvation to other firstborn sons, completely fulfilling the prophetic symbolism of the Passover lamb.
We believe that Yahshua fulfilled the symbolism of Passover even as He is the object and fulfillment of all prophecy, including (among others) the sin sacrifices, the two goats involved with the observance of the Day of Atonement, the firstfruits and harvest observances including the wave sheaf, the high priest serving in Yahweh's tabernacle and temple, the Prophet raised out of Israel for their instruction and warning, the lamb led to slaughter, and the conquering king. As we are told in Rev. 19:10, "The testimony of Yahshua is the spirit of prophecy."
Question: Why does your assembly have a woman as contact minister? Don't you have any men who could serve in that position? Does your assembly have female preachers?
Reply: We have several reasons for having a woman as contact minister. The primary one is that we believe in putting the best and most qualified person in any position of service. Our contact minister is also responsible for our literature and our web site. Mrs. Jeffery, as the author of the vast majority of our literature, including our Bible version, and as our web master, is best qualified to answer questions and handle discussions because she is most familiar with the material.
Our assembly does not have anyone, male or female, better qualified to serve as contact minister.
The House of Yahshua has no preachers at all. Our assembly's goal is to teach the truth to those who are seeking it, not to place people in the pulpit and have them preach at others who already possess the truth. If teaching is requested or required we simply sit down and study together; we seek to understand Scripture, not sermons.
Question: What information do you have to share about the flood before Noah's time in Genesis 1:2 in relation to Isaiah 45:18?
Reply: The two verses you mention in your question and their connection to each other are very interesting many Bible students. The use of the words "the deep", and "the waters" in Gen. 1:2 clearly implies a worldwide flood situation, which is supported by the necessary separation of the waters and land in verse 9 - "let dry land appear".
As to the connection between the two passages mentioned: While Is. 48:18 says that the earth was created "not in vain" (tohu - without form), Gen. 1:2 says that "the earth was (or became) without form (tohu) and void." There's clearly a flood situation in this passage in Genesis, yet Scripture says the earth wasn't created this way. We can only deduce from this that between the time God originally created the earth and Gen. 1:2 there is some space of time when the earth became wasted. It appears that the Creation Hymn is describing a "repair" or preparation of the earth for mankind, not its original creation.
There is possible support for this concept in Gen. 8:21-22, especially v. 22. This is after Noah's flood, where Yahweh determines in His heart not to curse the ground or destroy all life again, and He says, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Though seedtime and harvest definitely ceased during the year of Noah's flood, and perhaps even cold and heat, and even possibly summer and winter, it's a sure bet that day and night did not cease - else how could they know how many days they'd been in the ark? It may be that this reference not only hearkens to Noah's flood, but also to the flood that existed in Gen. 1:2, especially since we see immediately after that the (re)institution of day and night.
What happened to make the earth without form and void isn't mentioned in Scripture, though theories abound elsewhere. We wouldn't hazard a guess as to the cause: all we know for sure is that it appears that something catastrophic did happen.
Question: What are your thoughts on the book of Jude? Particularly Michael the archangel disputing with Satan about the body of Moses and the angels who did not keep their proper domain but left their own abode?
Reply: The book of Jude may seem a bit unusual to us because of the somewhat unfamiliar writing style of the author: this book addresses things in a unique way as well as addressing unique subjects. Though this book presents us with a challenge, if we understand it as a non-contradictory portion of the entire Bible, we can find the truth it contains.
At first glance, Jude's account of Michael contending with the devil over Moses' body seems puzzling - the use of the word "body" suggests a dead body, which would render this struggle pointless: why contend over a dead body? However, some study into this passage reveals one simple fact which clarifies the subject. The word for "body" here in the Greek is Strong's #4983 - "soma" - and the entry in Strong's reads, "...the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application." By contrast, the word for a dead body or corpse is #4430 - "ptoma" - which means "a ruin, i.e. (specifically) lifeless body."
With this in mind, it appears that Michael and the devil were contending not over Moses' body after his death, but over his living physical body. There is a precedent set for this concept in Scripture as early as the book of Job, where Satan bargains with God for permission to afflict not only Job's family and possessions, but his body also. Also in Luke 22:31, Yahshua reinforces this concept when He says, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat..." In both cases, the reason Satan wanted access to these men was in order to attack their faith through physical means.
So, it appears that in Jude, we find Satan contending with Michael over Moses' living body so that he might afflict it in some way, in order to destroy Moses' faith. However, in that instance Moses was protected by Michael, who rebuked Satan in Yahweh's name during this struggle. This is clearest interpretation of this passage we can find which is also consistent with the rest of Scripture. If it is true, then we find an amazingly uplifting message here: even the archangels fight for us against Satan's attacks!
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As to the subject of the angels who kept (or guarded) not their first estate (or principality), but left their own habitation, there's very little to go on except simple judgment in conjunction with other passages concerning any falling away by certain angels. Ezekiel 28 comes to mind here, where the king of Tyrus is described as an "anointed cherub that covereth", "perfect in [his] ways from the day that [he] was created, till iniquity was found in [him]." This is obviously a description of the willful descent into sin by a created being, specifically a cherub. (Whether a cherub can be technically be described as an angel [messenger] is arguable, but if this passage is describing Satan, as it appears to be, then the answer is yes.)
In Revelation 12 we find reference to "war in heaven", with Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon, which is Satan. Here Satan is cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him, "neither was their place found any more in heaven." This passage clearly shows a rebellion by at least 1/3 (v. 4) of the angels, who kept (or guarded) not their original place - instead attacking it - and left that habitation, being cast out into the earth.
Daniel 10:18-21 supports this notion of battle in heaven, as the one sent to Daniel says, "...I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come...and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince." If Michael the archangel is this "prince", then it follows that not only is the one speaking to Daniel an archangel, but also that the "princes" of Persia and Grecia are archangels as well. If this is true, then there was surely war in heaven during Daniel's time, and this war was between princes of angels, or archangels, and those angels under them.
Now we can understand the context of the passage in Jude - it speaks of unGodly and sinful people/beings who rejected their place before God and fell from a state of favor or grace, only to later be destroyed for it: the Israelites who "believed not" (v. 6), the angels who left their principality, even Sodom and Gemorrah who ended up wallowing in their own corruption, and finally the men who "crept in unawares...turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord...Yahshua the Messiah." The last mentioned are the prime subject of this passage, which describes their rebellion, sinfulness, and eventual destruction before God.
Question: What is your assembly's interpretation of Psalms 81:3? Do you believe that this verse can be used to prove the importance of the full moon in God's calendar?
Reply: Psalms 81:3 reads, "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day." The term 'time appointed' here comes from the Hebrew word 'kece' or 'kehseh', which is defined in Strong's Concordance as "appar. from 3680; properly fullness or the full moon." Strong's #3680 is 'kacah', which means "properly to plump, i.e. fill up hollows." With this information in hand, it appears at first glance that there may be some basis for rendering the word as 'full moon' here, which might indicate importance of the full moon in God's eyes.
Further examination of Scripture is the key to this subject. If we look at the next verse in this passage, we read, "For this (blowing of the trumpet) was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob." A simple study of the laws given in connection with the blowing of trumpets gives us clear information on this. Numbers 10:1-10 tells us the occasions on which trumpets were to be blown: for assembly (v. 2), for alarm (vv. 5 & 6), for war (v. 9), and "in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months...over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings..." (v. 10). Nowhere is the full moon mentioned in this passage, which tells us that in context there is no justification for translating the word 'kehseh' as 'full moon' in Ps. 81:3.
In fact, the word 'kehseh' appears only twice in Scripture - here in Ps. 81:3 and in Prov. 7:20. The passage in Prov. 7:19 & 20 provides us with another perspective on the use of this word: "For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed." To translate 'kehseh' as "at the full moon" makes no sense here, and even Bible versions which translate it as "full moon" in Ps. 81:3 often render it "day appointed" in this passage in Proverbs. The concept of consistency alone argues against interpreting this word as referring to the full moon.
A search for the phrase 'full moon' in the Bible yields no result, reinforcing the fact that God's calendar gives no importance to the full moon at all. If we evaluate all the information given here, we find no Scriptural support for interpreting Ps. 81:3 as making reference to the full moon. Our study tells us that the best and clearest rendering of this passage is, "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the fullness of time, on our solemn feast day." To interpret it in any other way simply does violence to Scripture.
Question: What does your church teach about observing Christmas and Easter?
Reply: We don't observe these days. Deut. 12:29-32 instructs us not to look at how other (pagan) religions worship their gods and then apply that type of worship to Yahweh. Even the most casual research into the origins of Christmas and Easter will show that these observances are rooted in paganism, and that the dates of the observances are tailored to fit with their pagan origins. Regarding even the traditions connected with these days, we can look to Jer. 10:2-5, which makes condemnatory reference to heathen observances connected with cutting trees and decorating them, as well as Eze. 8:16, which mentions worshipping the "the sun toward the east" (such as in Easter sunrise services) as an abomination. It is crystal clear that our God strictly commands us to shun any religious observance which He Himself has not set aside for us.
In addition, a search of Scripture shows us two very compelling facts:
1.) We are never commanded to observe the date of Yahshua's birth. In fact, the exact date of His birth is never revealed to us: how can we celebrate a date which we do not know? Throughout the New Testament, the only event related directly to Yahshua's life which we are instructed to observe is Passover, when He instituted the New Covenant for His people. We keep Passover as a memorial of His death, which is the root of our salvation. In keeping with the consistency of Scripture, Passover is not a new observance, as it was given as a commanded observance in the Old Testament (Ex. 12:6-11; Lev. 23:5; Deut. 16:1; etc.) - we simply keep this day now with a new understanding of its deep significance and importance.
2.) Nowhere in Scripture are the words "Christmas" or "Easter" even mentioned. Some might cite Acts 12:4 - where we find a reference to Easter - as an argument against this statement, but an examination of the original word used in the Greek manuscripts shows us the word "pascha" - a word which at every other occurrence in the New Testament is rendered "Passover". Obviously, the word "Easter" here is a deliberate insertion, implemented in order to gain acceptance for this pagan observance. As Bullinger's Companion Bible states, "Easter is a heathen term, derived from the Saxon goddess Eastre, the same as Astarte, the Syrian Venus, called Ashtoreth in the Old Testament."
In conclusion, we can only state that God's people must obey the instruction in Deut. 12, which enjoins us to reject any pagan religious observances (including Halloween) and cleave only to the Holy Days given to us by Yahweh our God.
Question: Does your congregation believe that we are saved by faith or through works?
Reply: This is a question that has been debated for centuries by different churches and Bible scholars; however, our assembly wonders where this debate is coming from. Scripture is very clear on the function and value of both faith and works.
In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul clearly tells us, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." This statement is supported by such Scriptures as Rom. 3:20 & 27-28; Rom. 4:4-5; and Gal. 2:16. Obviously salvation is a gift from God, given to us because of His grace, and our salvation hinges on our faith in Yahshua as Messiah and Son of God. There is no way to earn our way into salvation - Scripture is crystal clear on this.
However, we cannot ignore the importance of works as a vital part of our spiritual existence. The clearest statement on the subject of works comes from James 2:17 - "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." This doesn't mean that we can earn our salvation through works, but that if we have already received the gift of salvation through faith in Yahshua the Messiah, then we must live our lives in accordance with that faith. That is, we must show forth the fruits of our faith by our lifestyle and our works. James tells us, "...whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1:25)
If we truly have faith in Yahshua as our Saviour and accept His laws and teachings, then we must "repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" (Acts. 26:20), otherwise our claim of faith is just that - a hollow claim with no proof of its existence. Yahshua Himself tells us in John 14:15, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments" and in John 14:21, "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him."
We truly are saved by only grace through faith. After receiving that gift of salvation, we must live our faith and give outward evidence of it by our works. As James says, "...shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." (James 2:18)
Question: Where does your group assemble and how do you conduct your services?
Reply: Our group is currently based in Bridge City, Texas. We are a small and scattered assembly with members in Missouri, Texas, and Ohio and associated assemblies in Kenya and India. Because we exist primarily as a network assembly, loosely connected by telephone, internet, and regular mail, we rarely have formal assemblies. Instead, we meet in each others' homes when possible and otherwise keep in contact via the above mentioned means.
When we do meet, we have no set procedure for our assemblies. A typical meeting may or may not begin with an opening prayer, then go on into an informal discussion of current events, general study into any subjects our members are interested in at the time, and/or suggestions for future studies, and then end with a closing prayer. We most commonly meet as a group at Passover, where we read Scripture passages applying to that observance, participate in common footwashing, partake of unleavened bread and wine, and then take some kind of meal or snack afterwards as we share fellowship and general conversation. We strive to encourage and edify each other regardless of the direction our meetings take. Since we consider every member to be a minister, we have no designated pastor to lead our services, and as a result our assemblies are very relaxed and unstructured.
Understanding as we do the generally scattered nature of Yahshua's assembly, we offer support and fellowship with other believers long distance by the best available means. If you'd like to inquire about any planned formal assemblies, arrange a visit with our contact minister, a conversation via telephone or internet chat, or correspondence through e-mail, contact us at the e-mail address below or see our "Church Information" page for our contact number. Although we don't conduct conventional Sabbath assemblies, we can offer a Way off the beaten path which will provide encouragement, fellowship, and a network of support and communication for Yahshua's presently scattered flock of believers.
"For who hath despised the day of small things? (Zech. 4:10) Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong...all ye people of the land, saith Yahweh, and work: for I am with you, saith Yahweh of Hosts." (Hag. 2:3-4)
Question: The fact that both my mom and dad died recently has made me very interested in death and what it is like....What does God's word have to say about it?
Reply: Scripture speaks to us about death in a very comforting way: we never need to fear that those that we loved are perched somewhere in heaven looking down as mute witnesses to our troubles and griefs with no way to help us or comfort us; we can rest assured that they are not roasting in "hell" or trapped in some awful purgatory between heaven and hell.
Scripture repeatedly compares death to sleep: I Kings 2:10; I Kings 11:43; Psa. 13:3; Job 3:11-13; John 11:11-13, etc. This comparison has to do with the complete unconsciousness of sleep - there is no dream state, no consciousness for those who are dead. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes 9:5 tells us, "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing..." This clearly tells us there is no consciousness after death, only the peace of a deep sleep.
In Acts 2:29, Paul tells the people, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day." This was Paul's way of saying that David was dead and remained dead even unto the day of Paul's speech: David had not been resurrected, existed in any way as a conscious spirit, or moved to any other place from his tomb. Once death is upon us, we only rest: even Rev. 14:13 - a passage that speaks of death in the midst of the great tribulation - very comfortingly speaks of death as a place of rest from our earthly labors and trials.
Some may ask, "What happens to us, to our life and our consciousness, when we die?" While Scripture only speaks of this subject rarely, we may again look to the Preacher for information on this subject. Ecc. 3:19-21 tells us, "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts...as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they all have one breath (spirit); so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast...All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man, whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goeth downward to the earth?" If we look farther on in this same book, we find this clearly stated fact: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it." (Ecc. 12:7)
These passages taken together show us that upon death, we enter into something like a deep sleep. Our bodies may fade away into the dust from which they came, and our consciousness may no longer exist, but our life force - the spirit of life given to us by our Father at birth - returns to Him for safekeeping until the day of our resurrection.
In death we find only the restfulness and comfort of a deep and cleansing sleep. We are not troubled by the griefs and misfortunes of the living, we do not exist in a state of limbo or torture for sins committed while we lived: we only sleep the unknowing sleep of the dead, resting with the earth until our Father calls us from that sleep unto the resurrection reserved for us.
Question: I've visited your site and find a lot that I agree with. However, I do have a question: Does your church believe that after the resurrection we will go to heaven?
Reply: In a word: No. Nowhere in Scripture does it speak of people going to heaven upon either death or resurrrection, but it does speak very clearly of things coming down from heaven. God looks down from heaven (Deut. 26:15); fire comes down from heaven (II Kings 1:14); holy ones come down from heaven (Dan. 4:23); the Son of Man came down from heaven (John 3:13); the Holy Spirit was sent down from heaven (I Pet. 1:12); and New Jerusalem comes down from heaven (Rev. 3:12), to name a few. Our belief is that after the first resurrection and the events of Rev. 20, there will be a "new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1), and rather than us going to heaven, New Jerusalem will "come down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev. 21:2) There is where we will abide as spirit beings with Yahshua and our Father: in New Jerusalem here on the new earth, where They abide as the Temple (Rev. 21:22) and the light of the city (v. 23), ruling from Their throne (Rev. 22: 3) in that city.
Question: I've always heard about the Rapture - is this a true doctrine? What does the Bible say about it?
Reply: "Many Protestants believe that Christ will take the faithful up to heaven before the final coming. This experience is called the "rapture" (even though the word "rapture" is not found in the Bible)."
The above is paraphrased from information found on several web sites. There is much debate about the word "rapture" itself, and here is also widespread controversy among those who believe in the rapture concerning whether this event will happen before, during, or after the great tribulation. The simplest way to resolve this controversy is to understand that the doctrine of the rapture is a false doctrine, based on misunderstanding or misinterpretation of Scripture.
Many proponents of the rapture theory argue that though the word "rapture" (Latin - "rapturo") does not appear in Scripture, the Greek word "harpazo", which is roughly equivalent in meaning to rapturo, does. The word "harpazo" appears in the New Testament approximately 13 times, in a variety of contexts, including Matt. 11-12; John 10-12, 28, & 29; Acts 8:39; 2 Cor. 12:2; 1 Thess 4:17; and Rev. 12:5. We see not only the violent seizing (rapturing?) the kingdom of heaven, wolves catching (rapturing?) their prey, and the sinners pulled (raptured?) out of the fire, but also Philip being caught away from the Ethiopian eunuch, Paul being caught up to the third heaven, and the man child of Rev. 5 caught up to God's throne. If we accept the word "rapture" itself as valid, it is clear that we can only examine the commonly accepted concept of "the Rapture" to see whether it is supported in Scripture.
Concerning the concept of a Rapture occurring in which God will take His people from the earth in order to save them from the tribulation, martyrdom, persecution, etc., there is no Biblical support at all. While there is that Scripture which speaks of Yahshua's people being "caught up together with them (which are alive), to meet the Lord in the air..." (I Thess. 4:17), this obviously is speaking of them meeting Him at the time of His coming - "...we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord..."
There are those who will quote passages such as I Thess. 5:9 which state that God's people are not "appointed to wrath", and then extrapolate from this that His people will be taken away from the earth so as not to suffer the wrath of the Lamb and the wrath of God spoken of in Rev. 6:16, 14:10, and elsewhere. There are two problems with this interpretation:
1. This interpretation ignores Rev. 14:13 - "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours...", which shows us that God's people will remain during the tribulation and that they will suffer death in His service.
2.The rapture theorists appear to wrongly assume that God's wrath will fall upon mankind indiscriminately during the tribulation, with no difference made between idolatrous sinners and His own people. Nothing could be farther from the truth. From Rev. 7:3-17, to ch. 9:3 & 4, to 11:18, to 14:9-11, and on through ch. 16:2 and beyond, we clearly see a difference made between God's people and those who reject Him and worship the beast. Just as physical parents may simultaneously punish those of their children who misbehave or disobey without allowing that punishment to fall on those who are obedient, our Father is completely capable of delivering His wrath to the unrighteous people of the world without allowing that wrath to fall upon His own obedient children. Proof of this can be found in the events which occurred before the exodus of Israel from Egypt, when Yahweh afflicted the Egyptians with the plagues of flies, destruction of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of firstborn sons while at the same time protecting the children of Israel from those exact same plagues.
Scriptures such as Daniel 7:25, 8:12 & 24, 11:33-35; Matt. 24:9; John 16:2; Rev. 13:7, and others make it clear that God's people will be afflicted and will be allowed to suffer death because they are His people, obedient to Him and His will for them. This is not something to be feared: rather, it is a privilege to be rejoiced over. Peter tells us, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy...If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you...if any suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." (I Pet. 4:12-16)
The time comes when we will be called upon to stand firmly on our beliefs and to be willing to suffer death rather than betray those beliefs and the God that we worship. We should not be fearful of this or seek to escape such a solemn privilege and responsibility by hoping to be carried away from it at the most crucial time. Instead we should look to our true place of safety, which is our Father's loving care: "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (I Peter 4:19).
"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Rev. 2:10)
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If you have any comments or questions you'd like answered, please e-mail us at
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