“But if not…”  (Daniel 3)

 

Today I received a report that a young Christ-ian girl, who lived in Pakistan, had died. This young girl spent six (6) days in the hospital and gave up the ghost. The cause of her passing on, in human terms, was due to acid being thrown upon her body. She was being forced into a marriage with a son of belial, a servant of (s)atan, a worshiper of the islamic death cult that follows a depraved and pedophiliac sociopathic false prophet that believed a demon, who came to him in form of an angel. I’m talking about Muhhamad, may his soul burn in Hell forever.

STOP IT!!!  If you are saying or thinking, well that just isn’t Christ-like. If this is you, please read Psalm sixty-nine (69) and know this is what was in Christ’s thoughts as He died in the stead of His elect people and only in the stead of His elect people. “Forgive them, for they know not what they do” was specific to the soldiers that crucified Him and no one else.  Those that had Him crucified knew what they were doing.

In these perilous time, foretold by Scripture, so many of our fellow believers in other parts of the world, are being killed, have been killed, and will continue to be killed in the Name of a death cult and depraved prophet that believed (s)atan’s lies.  Those that kill them do it in (s)atan’s name and those that are martyred, are martyred in the Name of Christ.

We have example after example after example of God’s chosen being led to the slaughter all the day long.  We have examples in our God-inspired Scripture, in history, and in our current times. The people of God stood for the faith of Christ or more specifically for the Focus of their faith.  The three (3) Hebrew men that refused to bow to Nebuchaddnezzar’s ridiculosly narcassistic golden idol said they would not bow to this idol. They said God is able to deliver them if He wills, however they stood in  their direct repute to the king’s face with, “But if not”  they still would not bow to His idol.  We see Daniel, the disciple/apostles laying down their live, We saw our Champion lay down His life on our behalf, on my behalf, and your behalf…they all fought the good fight of faith and their testimony stood and brought glory to God and CONDEMNATION to God’s hate-filled and rebellious enenmies.

We see examples of believers being killed today in school shootings and other parts of the world for their testimony of Christ, we see the enemiies of the Cross of Christ shooting Christ-ians in churches here and other places.

I’m going to make a statement that a few or some will think is rash and maybe even prideful. However this statement is neither and I will prove it and hopefully encourage those that would think me rash and put on a mask of humility and meekness.

I have heard and I have said, one should not boast of one’s willingness to stand for Christ in the face of perilous and trying times. We and others point to the passage that warns us to take heed lest we fall in the name of mis-understanding humility and mis-understanding meekness.  That warning is a good warning; it speaks to carnal and fleshly pride. HOWEVER, to take that position is to ignore the grace God gave to all that died in His Name before us in Scripture, in history, in contemporary times and today!!!  To say, i do not know what I would do if put in a position of recant or die, it is to doubt the promise of Christ and all the examples of the martyrs that have gone before us.

David knew he might be in for a long fight, hence his five (5) smooth stones, Esther knew her death was a possibility if not probable, Daniel knew what was before him, Christ knew what was before Him, Thomas knew what could be before him when he said, let us go and die with Him, Peter knew what awaited him in his old age, Paul knew of his coming dispatchment to Christ’s side. The promised grace and courage was provided to all of them.  It is written of Christ that the Spririt was present to allow Him to meet His destiny.  Paul said, “To die is gain.” The Hebrew men said, “If He does not deliver us, be it known unto you, we will not bow.”

In Christian history Polycarp, when he was offered life if he would “only” recant his faith in Christ.  His answer?  Christ has stood by me for over eighty (80) years, why would I now betray Him.  In other words Polycarp said,  and I paraphrase, Christ has been with me, Christ is with me, and I shall forever be with Christ and you are foolish to even think….for a micro-second that I would bow to your puny, self centered, self-exalting dead inside spirit, that is reprobate to the faith and love of God….puny human.

Martin Luther, when threatened with excommunication and probable death, refused to recant, He used the inspired, the spiritual logic, the fire, the words Christ promised to all that would be taken and put before puny magistrates in His Blessed Name, that is above all Names. Luther’s answer to their threats was, “Here I stand, God help me.”

Reader, the day is far spent and our salvation draweth nigh and is closer than when we first believed. It is time to be loosed from Lazarus’ death clothes, and make the committment to Christ, here and now, trusting His promises, and His graces and say, “For me to live is Christ and death is gain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is time that we cast off the Christ-ian version of political correctness and the self exaltation of ourselves in the name of false humility, false meekness and false moderation.

To say, “I hope I would be strong enough to remain loyal to Christ,” is to take the positition that is certain to fail.  One is not humble or meek to say, “if Christ gives me courage, I will stand.”  One is denying the promise of the Presence and filling of the Holy Spirit when one “hopes” in a faithless way to stand for Christ.

Some would say, “But Peter’s denial of Christ is a warning to us.” WRONG!!! Peter had not yet received the Christ promised Holy Spirit and power to STAND as a witness to Christ’s Glory. but when he did receive the Promised Spirit, he stood and glorified God.

It is high time to cast off the old man and “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness [true] humbleness of mind, [true] meekness, longsuffering…”

It is high time to “…Take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

It is high time to “…put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ…”

To trust and stand, by the hope of our promised, anchored, and Christ wrought salvation, in God’s grace is not of the flesh, is not carnal, is not pride, is not self-willed or self-concerned.  To stand in the liberty, hope, and strength of Christ is what we were newly created for.

*We were chosen in Christ [BEFORE] the foundation of the world.
*Daniel and his friends made the decision, knowing the grace of God, to remain loyal and strong BEFORE, they were called upon to remain loyal and strong.
*It is written, Christ was the Lamb killed BEFORE the founding of the world.
*Paul said, “To live is Christ…”

And was it not the very Son of God, that said, “Thy will be done?”

Reader, if we are to experience the persecution that Christ foretold and is happening right now in other parts of the world, we must decide NOW that we will stand in the faith, in the hope, and in the strength that Christ promised us when perilous times come.

For me to live is Christ and death is gain and whether we live in Christ, or die in Christ, we are His. The slaughter of our Christ-ian family in other parts of the world, any persecution we, in America, may come to face is the validation, the vindication, the demonstration of faith, the hope we have in Christ and the condemnation and desolation of all that oppose Christ and Christ’s very elect.

Godspeed.