Passage Read: Revelation 13-14
Meditation Verses: 13:7-10
Thought
The will be no place where the saints will find safe refuge. Authority over all the nations and peoples will be given to the Antichrist, and all those on the earth who are not chosen by God will worship him. There will be those who fear His power and they will do as he requires, and there will be those who stand in awe of him and gladly do whatever he asks in their delight and devotion to him. This is a word and warning for all who believe in Jesus. It will go hard for those who live to see this day. God will allow some who trust Him to suffer captivity; others will be put to death, especially if they take up arms to defend themselves. Therefore, the saints need to be ready to endure patiently and remain faithful to Jesus Christ. It seems impossible to imagine how anyone could survive to the rapture, but some will.
Application
If I should live to see this, I will need to be fully prepared, and preparation begins with giving up any hope for the things of this world, any love for the things of this life. I also need to invest more of my heart and efforts into knowing Jesus and advancing His Kingdom. The more central that is to my life the more prepared I am to suffer for it. The more I suffer scorn and shame now, the more prepared I am to suffer worse later, and the more truly I have shifted my heart and life to things above. I shouldn't be thinking about how to avoid the hostility of the world, but rather practice enduring it as I faithfully seek and serve Jesus better and in so doing, draw the world's ire.