If you say, “I don’t want to go to church." or "I don’t feel like walking by faith.”, because you got a little offended or upset, you didn’t have faith from the very beginning. Those who have a clear heart for the Lord are not shaken by feelings or emotions.
If you don’t pray and give thanks, and are not faithful or not obedient to the Lord, and if you keep being lazy even though you are not being persecuted but living safely, you are going to fall away from the faith by grumbling against God when you suffer severe pain at the end of the world.
The Lord knows your heart how you love Him and how you try to please Him. Outwardly, there are many people who say they love the Lord and wait for the second coming of the Lord, while inwardly, they pursuit worldly wealth, honor, and power. Although they say they love the Lord, they neglect to work for the Lord and even abandon the Lord’s work. They love the Lord just with their lips. You must love the Lord your God with your whole heart. Only those who love the Lord with all their heart can endure the suffering, persecution, and hardships that will face at the end of the world. In the end, they can be taken into heaven.
At the end of the world, a beast tempts people of the world to worship the beast and his image, to receive the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:11) But those who don’t worship the beast but obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus will be priests of God and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
We shouldn’t deny Jesus no matter what persecution, difficulties, and suffering, even the death come upon us. Jesus said, “He who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:13) We must not betray the gospel although we die for the gospel but endure it by the power given by God to the end.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #688
