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A Christian's Greatest TrialBy John O. Reid
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In a recent sermon by John Ritenbaugh, he turned to Proverbs 22, verse 3 that states:
Proverbs 22:3 - A prudent man foresees the evil [danger], and hides himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
There is a principle involved in this proverb that is applied in the military, in business, in health (as was described by John, in his last sermon), and in the church today. With any organization whose continuation depends on its being healthy or sound, the ability to foresee the danger that confronts them and to prepare to confront that danger—or, hide from it—is of vital importance.
The military if forced to consider the forces they must meet in combat. How large are they? What weapons will they use? What will their tactics be? What terrain will the soldier have to fight over? What weather conditions is he going to have to fight in? What will they be like? (Hot? Freezing? Wet?) The information is taken and put into a plan of action. And part of the action is to prepare the troops for what they are going to be facing. This preparation, of course, is called training. We all understand that.
The new recruit, as well as the seasoned veteran, is informed as to what he is going to have to face. He is taught to handle the weapons that he's going to need. He's exposed to the climate that he'll be fighting in. He's trained physically, so that he'll be able to stand up to the physical rigors of combat. He is forced to experience "live fire" and explosions around him—that he might not be terrified when, in fact, he is exposed to it.
All of this is done so that, when the foreseen evil does present itself, the soldier will not collapse in confusion or terror. Rather, that he will be ready to face it. This doesn't mean that he won't be afraid, or that there won't be some confusion. But it does mean that, because he knows what to expect and has been well prepared to face it, he has a good chance to survive.
The same principle is followed in the business world as well. I was in the sales field; and, in a difficult sales market, the sales manager has the responsibility of seeing to it that his salesmen are going to be successful. He does this by noting the resistance in any market. What are the customers like? What do his sales people have to face?
Then he does something that is called "role playing." The sales manager becomes the purchasing agent. And, knowing what his people are going to have to face (and I've done this many times), he makes them make the sales presentation to him, in front of everybody. (You always hate to have to do that--when you have to do these things in front of your peers. But nevertheless, we had to do it.) And he would give responses to their sales presentation that would be really difficult for the salesman to answer. He did this so that they would learn to overcome the objections; and so that, when they got into the field, they might not loose heart. Rather, that they might have intelligent and sound answers for the objections that the customers had. Thus, they could help the customer make a wise purchase.
We all know that this type of training takes place in the Fire Departments and the Police Departments as well. They perceive the dangers that the individuals will have to be facing. It's identified, and then steps are taken to set forth and instruct those having to confront it—on how to handle it, that they might be safe and successful on the jobs they have to do.
Again, the key to success in these situations is to accurately identify the danger that is to be faced. God understood this principle long before man did. And as such, He set for us to note the overall danger that would be facing the church at this end time. Although we've seen many dangers (the market crash, the Beast power, the mark of the Beast, famine, and drought), yet it might surprise you what THE REAL DANGER is for us—as identified by God.
Please turn over to Daniel 7. We've all had this chapter, and the Beast, and everything else [here] explained to us many times in booklets [and whatever]. That really isn't my purpose this afternoon. That's prophecy, and I really am not good at prophecy.
But today I'd like for you to put yourself in Daniel's shoes, or sandals (whatever the case may be). Consider that you have never before heard any explanation. In fact, you have never heard this prophecy before. This has never come to you. And you have never before heard a synopsis or an overview of events that are going to take place from the time of Daniel to the conclusion of the age. This is the whole thing in capsule form. And the vision that you had stuns you, and it forces question after question to come into your mind.
Daniel 7:1- 3 — In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. [Or, he told the main facts of what he'd dreamt of.] 2 Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
And then he describes the four beasts.
Daniel 7:7-9a - After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast [This is the one that we are going to be dealing with.], dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly. And it had great iron teeth. It devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it; and it was diverse [different] from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots. And, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. 9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down [put in place]. And the Ancient of days [God the Father] did sit down...
This is a synopsis of everything here.
Daniel 7:9b-11 - ...whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgement [court] was set [seated], and the books were opened. 11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
Daniel 7:13-14 — I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man [Jesus Christ] came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
This is what Daniel saw, and he was grieved. He stood there just stunned.
Daniel 7:15-18 — I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. [He didn't know what to make of it.] 16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. 17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings [with kingdoms], which shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the most High shall take [receive] the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
But then he stops, and he thought, "Tell me about the fourth beast. That's the one that is so bad."
Daniel 7:19-21 — Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet. 20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke very great things [pompous words], whose look was more stout than his fellows. 21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.
So we begin to get an idea of what's coming.
Daniel 7:22-23 - Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Daniel 7:25 - And he shall speak great words against the most High, [And here is the danger.] and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time [3 ½ years].
So here we see, brethren, that the fourth beast is the beast that we have to deal with. His intent is to change times and to devour the earth. It is Satan working through this adversary, who will endeavor to wear out the saints.
The term "wear out the saints" is #1080 in Strong's. It means to mentally wear out, to exhaust them. Thus we see THE DANGER (identified by God through Daniel) as Satan working through this end time leader to wear out the saints—those who hold the truth of God. That is, to make them loose out, if at all possible, on their salvation. Why does he do this? God has called us to be members of the very God Family—something that Satan and his demons could never be. And thus to thwart us from obtaining our goal, in Satan's mind, is to thwart God Himself from accomplishing His goal.
I don't think we really realize (and I don't mean to sound pompous or puffed up) how special we are to God. We aren't any better than anybody else in the world; but God is working with us, through His Spirit. And He has a future for us that nobody else has, at this time. And so Satan really wants to stop this.
We shouldn't forget either that Satan already has the world, but we are the living evidence that God's plan is working. To destroy us, as Satan reasons, is (again) to destroy God's plan. But God through His vision to Daniel has identified the principle danger that we must face as that of becoming worn out mentally and giving up. That is the principle danger!
If we are to stand against this danger, we must come to understand the many means that Satan will employ to accomplish his goal of wearing us out. There are so many things that attack us, that it is not always easy to clarify what, or who, the enemy is. But there is a significant area of Scripture, that we'll come to in a moment, that helps to identify that.
For one thing, right now the church is in tremendous confusion. That, of itself, causes our minds to be in confusion and to wear, and puts strain upon us. In the greater Church of God today we have the confusion of "goal." What is the Work? Is it reaching the world with a tremendous broadcast, or preparing the Bride? What's the most important?
We have confusion of direction. What is God after in each one of us? True obedience, or just sort of being a nice person (as I've been told, a few times)? There's confusion about law keeping. Is God harsh? Is He easy? Or is He sort of in between? Or do we just have to love Him?
There's confusion regarding prophecy. Was Mr. Armstrong right, or are all the many other confusions 'out there' that we hear today correct? We have confusion of doctrine. Do we tithe? (That's come up.) Are the holy days and the Sabbath done away with? Is the Hebrew calendar the correct calendar in God's sight? Do we count from the morrow after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread, or from the first holy day when the Passover falls on the Sabbath?
We have confusion as to which of the many churches is the correct one to attend. This is just sort of tongue and cheek, because I'm sure that they are all God's churches; but we have four that state that they are "the true church." We have confusion as to who Mr. Armstrong was. Was he God's apostle that God put here and gave instruction, divinely, for us to come to understand and to grow from? Or (as I've been told) was he just the Pastor General? Or was he just another minister—no better or worse than others?
You see—all these things very subtly wear on our minds and cause confusion, and tire us out as we struggle to keep to the trunk of the tree that we must keep to. Is it God's intent that we be confused? The answer, of course, is "No!" But for those who go their own way, as it says in Romans 1, that they who deny God are confused. And they glorify God not, nor are thankful. Thus, their foolish heart is darkened; and they, thinking themselves wise, became a fool.
Now the principle that I told you about--that we can begin to count on here, and to look toward as a sign—is encompassed by probably eight scriptures that I am going to go through fairly rapidly. What does God want from His people?
I Corinthians 14:33 — For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
In other words, God isn't "into" confusion.
I Corinthians 1:10 — Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
I Corinthians 12:25 — That there should be no schism [or, divisions] in the body [in the church]; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
That is, operating from God's Spirit.
II Corinthians 13:11 — Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect [complete], be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
One of Mrs. Armstrong's favorite scriptures was Psalms 133, and she would always quote verse one.
Psalms 133:1 — How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Romans 12:16 — Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Romans 15:5-6 — Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:27 — Only let your conversation [conduct] be as it becomes the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.
Philippians 2:2 — Fulfil you my joy, that you be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Philippians 3:16 — Nevertheless, whereto [or, to the degree that] we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
It is important to God that we all be of one mind. And when we find that we aren't, that should be a little warning bell that goes off.
Ephesians 4:1 — I [Paul] therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called.
He's saying, "Really consider the wonderful things that have been given to you. And see that you walk worthy to that calling." That is, that you give right ethical responses to the fact that you have been called.
Ephesians 4:2-4 - With all lowliness [humbleness] and meekness [gentleness], with longsuffering [patience], forbearing one another in love; 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling.
There are not "a lot." There's one!
Ephesians 4:5-6 - One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
So, this confusion doesn't come from God. God wants us all to be of the same mind, operating from the same Spirit. It's evident from these scriptures that this confusion is not from God. It's from another source. But it is being "used" by God for a special purpose—which we are going to see today.
Mr. Armstrong said that many times Satan thinks that he's destroying us by causing trials and confusion. The fact is that God is using Satan's effort against us to force us not to let down, but to resist the lies and to stand fast in faithfulness to Him. Don't ever forget that.
Peter has something to tell us about trials. Turn with me to I Peter 1. We'll start with verse 3, because verse 3 down through verse 7 is very encouraging.
I Peter 1:3-7 — Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope [Not a false hope, but a true hope—a living hope.] by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, [That's what this calling is all about.] 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness [or, distress] through manifold temptations. 7 That the trial of [the genuineness of] your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
What he is saying is that, when Jesus Christ appears, you will be glad and thrilled that you've gone through all the trials that you've been through. (We'll cover that part of it later, too.) He says that we are to rejoice in the hope of our salvation, even though for a season (or, a short period) we might have to suffer (or, suffer trial). Compared to eternity, it is just a drop in a bucket. Even if all of your life you had to suffer, it would be nothing.
And he said, if need be (if the trial is specifically needed to produce a desired change in you, or in me), don't be discouraged by the trial or all of the temptations that come. Rather, realize that God is doing something specific in your life. Why? --Because the testing of your faith is of tremendous value. Trails are designed to show if our faith and trust in God is pure.
Peter is showing us that the testing of our faith is far more important than the testing of gold, which passes away. And even though gold seems impervious to the elements, it does wear away over a period of time. But the faith, proven genuine, will last throughout all eternity and be found unto praise and honor and glory—at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Brethren, this is a exceedingly important part of our calling and development. Without the attempt to wear out the saints, God knows that we wouldn't have enough character or spiritual strength built into us to accomplish the wonderful work that He has in store for us to do. He put this here deliberately. God's in charge of everything. The pressure that He puts on us is for our good. So it is absolutely essential that we have the pressure and the attempt to wear us out.
When we first come into the church, we all get excited about the place of safety. (And I'm still excited about that.) But we tend to look at being safe and having the pressure taken off of us. But I'm here to tell you that is not the case. By our calling, we are required to become a new person. By our calling, that means that we have to work to measure up to the standard of Jesus Christ.
God tells us over and over again that we are going to have to make decisions against popular thinking in this world, against personal desires, against some in the congregation with different doctrines and wrong teachings. And this is going to produce trial. It is going to produce "wearing out" of your mind, mentally—because of the anguish that you have to go through.
Not only that, but we are going to have to individually make these decisions. It's not going to be a collective thing. This will require that we study--that we get into the correspondence course and into our Bibles, and truly understand what God's will is—and then faithfully stand for it. This is what God wants to see from each one of us.
And though we may not want this wearing out, or these trials, to come upon us—we have to ask the question...We live in "fat America," where we have all the conveniences. But we have to ask the question, "How about those who went before us?" Did they have to face trials? Are we any different than they are? Perhaps we are in the environment we are in, but we have to go through trials too.
Did God subject them to be "worn out"--by Satan, and by trials? You bet He did! Did Satan work to "wear out" the ministry? Again, you bet he did! Far more did he "wear out" the ministry in the old days. It's just unbelievable what they went through. In II Corinthians 1, Paul is telling them what he had to go through.
II Corinthians 1:9-10 — But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead; 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.
Paul starts out by saying that he wants the brethren to understand the great difficulty that they were under. There seems to have been some recent trouble; and they were weighed down by calamity exceedingly--fully expecting to die. I don't know what the reason was that they [thought they] were going to die. Maybe it was because they had to fight the beasts, or maybe by the hands of the people (who just hated them). But it was so bad that the apostle Paul gave up of being able to do anything of himself. There was nothing he could do. He was helpless.
He had to place total reliance on God. He even thought about, "Well, You are the God who resurrects. If I get killed, maybe You'll resurrect me." And then he states that not only did God deliver them, but he reminds us today that God continues to deliver those who are His. We should never forget that, and always look to that hope. (This was a very serious time for Paul.)
II Corinthians 7:5a — For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest...
When people want to break somebody else down, that's one of the ways they do it. They don't give them any rest.
II Corinthians 7:5b - ...but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.
This is what the apostle Paul went through. Paul states that, when he was in Macedonia, he was being stressed on every side—to the maximum. He was attacked on every side, or in every way, and from every quarter. From without were fightings. He was constantly harassed with a fierce opposition, which he met when preaching the gospel. The opposition came from the Jews and from false brethren.
Then he states that within him were fears. Now, ministers never have any fears? Paul did. One of his fears was would he get out alive. Then he thought, "How about the letter that I sent to the Corinthians, to correct them (for the incest that was going on in the church)?" Would they take it? Or would they leave God's church, because of the correction?
All of these things were going on, in Paul's mind; and the pressure to wear Paul out was there. Again, we have the example that Paul never quit—despite the pressure. And there was horrendous pressure! Yet he never quit. So, let's look at some of the things that he went through. For one thing, there were false apostles and so forth going on here. We'll start in II Corinthians 11:19, and look to see how Paul defines his ministry here. (He's talking to the church.)
II Corinthians 11:19 — For you suffer [put up with] fools gladly, seeing you yourselves are wise.
In other words, these were strange teachers that had come in and were trying to pervert them; and he says, "You put up with them—thinking that you're so smart."
II Corinthians 11:20-23 — For you suffer [put up], if a man bring you into bondage [to go back to the old ways], if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face [You put up with him!]. 21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. [People had been laughing at Paul, and condemning him.] Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prison more frequent, in deaths oft.
(That is, exposed to death.) Paul was saying here that these were false ministers of Christ. But notice the yardstick that he is about to measure by—his ministry versus their ministry. It was the yardstick of trial brought about by standing firm for the truth, without compromise. It is the payment that comes in the form of trials for fully preaching the gospel. It is the determination to finish the job, when every attempt is made to wear one down. That's what Paul measured by.
II Corinthians 11:24-26 — Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep. 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren.
These are some of the things that Paul had to go through, and Satan was trying to wear him down.
II Corinthians 11:27-31 — In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. [Not many of us have had to go through those types of things.] 28 Beside those things that are without, that which comes upon me daily, the care of all the churches. [That was a heavy responsibility to Paul.] 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not? 30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knows that I lie not.
He said, "All that I tell you is true. This is what God has put me through for the gospel's sake—for preaching the truth." And he concludes:
II Corinthians 11:32-33 - In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: 33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
This is the kind of trauma (this is the type of "wearing out") that God's ministers had to go through. Paul, Luke, John, Matthew, Peter, Jude—all of those were faithful in preaching the truth, and they were continually tried by the process of attempting to wear them out. But contrary to Satan's desire to destroy them, they only became stronger—because the trials drove them to be closer to Jesus Christ.
That's something that we might want to remember. Is it just the ministry that sets the example of trials? Not on your life! We know of Abraham having to leave the country and going to a strange land, leaving everything. Moses giving up being a king in Egypt, and luxury, to be with the people of Israel.
Hebrews 11:31 — By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
Rahab fully knew that her life would be forfeited if they found the spies. And yet she had faith in God, and trusted Him.
II Corinthians 11:32-35 - And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.
So here we see that we have Rahab (You know what happened to her.), and Gideon, and Barak. They knew that what they were required to do could cause them their death. And they had mental 'second thoughts' before they could act. But yet, it didn't wear them out. They trusted God. Samson, who slipped and dishonored God, went through much mental anguish; and he was faithful to the very end.
David—what can you say of David? He'd been through everything. He slew Goliath. He numbered the people. The adultery with Bathsheba, the pressures in the court, fears—everything encompassed him; but he wasn't worn down, and he didn't quit.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego—can you imagine the pressure of being thrown into a lion's den, or into the fiery furnace? And yet they were firm in their conviction. All of these men—and many more that have gone before us—all went through trials designed to wear them out. Instead, it caused them to draw close to God in faithfulness. This proved to be the result that God wanted from them.
Hebrews 11:36-38 — And others had trial of cruel mockings and scour
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