Those who truly love God's Word do not stumble

 

“ Abundant peace belongs to those who love your law, and for them there is no stumbling block” - Psalm 119:165

When God's elect appear on the world stage they will be hated by all nations.

This comes as no surprise to Bible students because God's true people cannot have the world's approval – John 15:18, 19; 1 John 5:19

How many of those who have read Matthew 24:9 have applied those words to themselves or to their religious organization?

We can imagine that Lutherans, at the beginning of their oppression at the hands of the Catholic clergy, applied these words to themselves.

Surely those 800 Waldensians who were massacred in the week between 12-18 April 1545 thought the same thing , including those twenty- five women who sought refuge in a cave and who remained asphyxiated with a fire lit at the mouth.

Those who have followed the articles from the beginning have seen how the 144,000, or those who will take the lead in restoring true worship and who will be busy preaching the good news of the Kingdom, must all be present on the “Lord's Day” and consequently all theories on the "total number of the elect over the course of 2000 years ", on the "remaining", on whether it is a symbolic number, etc. they leave whatever time they find - Revelation 1:10

The 144,000, all , are sealed to survive the war to come and this has nothing to do with the total number of those who will reign with Christ, without becoming a symbolic number - Revelation 7:1-4

War, in fact, is precisely one of those things the Lord speaks of when explaining the sign of His presence - Luke 21:10

However, not knowing the day and the hour, it is quite obvious to imagine that all the sincere people who have suffered terrible persecution over the centuries thought they themselves were those elected "hated by all nations".

This will undoubtedly have given a lot of strength to these people especially in the last moments of their lives.

By carefully studying the Bible, however, we are sometimes forced to clash between what we strongly desire to believe and what is pure biblical teaching without conditioning.

This expression is absolutely not meant to insinuate that this blog, or the author of this blog, believes he has understood everything or that there can be no errors in certain interpretations presented here .

We just want to underline that the Word of God is more important than our desires, even the deepest ones.

Only the Word of God is the Truth and only It can make us truly free – John 8:31, 32; 5:17 pm

If the 144,000 are the ones who will restore true worship, it means that all religious organizations that existed after early Christianity as well as those that exist today have never had God's approval.

This does not mean, however, that many and many good and sincere people did not exist.

In his attempts to prevent a revival to true worship, Satan placed his men in leadership positions to "watch out" for any individuals who would want to bring worship back as close to gospel teachings as possible.

While strictly speaking these efforts are not enough to be identified as "wheat" (which can exist only if there is true worship) today it is still full of tares, i.e. false Christians. According to the inspired words recorded in Malachi, the time would come when the distinction between the righteous and the wicked and between those who serve God (the true God) and those who actually never served him would come again - Malachi 3:17

This scripture makes us understand that there are wicked people, or rapacious wolves, who make the world believe that they are serving God... otherwise it would not be necessary to "see the distinction again".

This is the time period where there is still no distinction.

When will this , that is, the obvious separation, take place?

The true God, through Malachi, says that this will be "in the day when it produces a special property."

Were not the faithful people of Israel the “special property” at the time Malachi wrote those words? - Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6

We know from scripture study that it was the Lord who initiated the people who would be a special possession because they would no longer be chosen solely by birthright - 1 Peter 2:9

This people would have been chosen out of all the nations for their faith and heart condition, though they should have been added to the Jewish holy firstfruits - John 10:16; Galatians 3:26-29

Malachi's words were fulfilled, at least in part, right in the first century during the ministry of Jesus and the birth of the first Christians, but would the prophecy end there?

Obviously not.

The people of special property, or those who will be charged with restoring true worship, will have to manifest themselves during the war.

Some time after the Lord sowed the fine seed, true worshipers would no longer be recognizable – compare 1 John 2:18

If the true worshipers would no longer be recognizable, it is obvious and obvious that at some point God must produce this people of special property so that we can see again "who serves God and who has not served him".

How, then, will true worshipers​—truthful sheeplike ones be distinguished from wolves in sheep’s clothing? - Matthew 7:15, 16

We know the Lord's words by heart but perhaps we have never reflected on certain details that could change our vision of things.

Matthew 24:10 says "And then many will stumble and betray one another and hate one another."

When true worship is restored, who will stumble?

Until now we have been used to thinking that this stumbling, betraying and hating would have to do with the hardships caused by war or persecution.

Surely war, like any other difficult situation, can test our sincerity in calling ourselves Christians.

Indeed, it is in times of difficulty that a clear distinction is created between people with strong values ​​(not necessarily Christian or religious) and those who have none.

Difficulties expose what we are made of – 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Is this what Jesus was talking about when explaining the sign of His presence?

Let's reflect.

As we well know and as we mentioned at the beginning, difficulties have always been a part of this world and good people have always been "torn to pieces" whether they were Christians or not.

In those very difficult moments they could have stumbled, betrayed and hated each other but this would not have made that time "the sign of the Lord's presence".

We also note the temporal sequence of Jesus' discourse.

In Matthew 24:9 and 10, after speaking of wars, famine, earthquakes and persecution he says " then " and that is after or during all this , "many will stumble and betray one another and hate one another".

Is it persecution that stumbles false Christians?

Surely yes because this is indirectly emphasized in the final words "he who perseveres to the end will be saved" - Matthew 24:13

However we note that the action of stumbling, betraying and hating oneself is immediately linked to the appearance of false prophets who will mislead many - Matthew 24:11

Why?

How does this relate to the persecution?

Doesn't that sound like a sentence out of context?

Well the answer is simple but at the same time it is more profound than what has been taught by the various religious organizations.

The good news of the Kingdom will restore true worship and this will openly show and prove that all current religious denominations have never had God's approval.

None of the churches existing today is God's organization and the day God brings forth that "specially owned people" or 144,000, all these organizations will be exposed - Mark 4:21-23

In this sense they, that is, religious ministers, will betray themselves: they will really show, through their works, who they really are - John 13:35; 1 John 3:10-12

And here it becomes immediately logical why, in conjunction with the preaching, these false prophets appear who "mislead many": to deceive them, distract them, to tell them not to listen to them.

In fact, how will the various religious leaders react when they feel unmasked for what they are?

Will they make a heartfelt “mea culpa” by repenting and submitting to the message brought by God's elect?

It may be that, even in the upper floors, someone will do it… but in general we can imagine the reaction.

Losing face, as well as power, will not be pleasant at all for most of them.

How will they react, then?

In addition to persecution (directly or indirectly) they will organize a campaign to tell their faithful not to listen to these people.

In that period, more than any past period, it will be necessary "to speak crooked things to draw the disciples after him."

We can also imagine the results of this campaign: they will mislead many. How many people love their religion more than the Bible and God himself?

Many people just can't bring themselves to re-discuss their religious organization, even in the face of evidence.

Many people do not distinguish the Truth, which is the Word of God, from a set of people or buildings.

Religious ministers, as a whole, will leverage their authority and image so that as many people as possible unite in hating or belittling them.

If they had simply been wrong but sincere… they should be happy now and willingly accept the good news of the Kingdom, shouldn't they?

By showing hatred and intolerance, however, they will clearly show who they are. In short, they will betray themselves.

Mark 13:12, 13 says “Moreover, brother will deliver brother over to death, and father son, and sons will rise up against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But whoever endures to the end will be saved."

In addition to the 144,000, even those who will listen to these preachers of God's Kingdom will risk being betrayed by their own brothers (whether blood brothers or ex-brothers) and the merry worshipers of their own religion, until the last moment, will believe they are do the will of God – John 16:1-4; Matthew 7:22, 23

Whose side will we be on during that crucial period?

Already today we can form an honest opinion of those who, faced with the scriptural evidence, prefer not to go against their own religious ministers or prefer peace of mind to knowledge of the Word of God... but in any case everyone must think about their relationship with God and wondering if it's really based on love for His Word rather than other things.

The time will come when many will stumble, betray and hate each other but for those who truly love God's Word there is no stumbling block - Psalm 119:165

This love for the Word will move sincere people to recognize and accept the preaching of God's elect despite the changes they will be forced to make and despite the problems this decision will cause in their lives.

They will not bow down to their "brothers" or even to their ministers because they will have loved God, and therefore His Word, above everything and everyone - Psalm 119:97

Only this kind of people will enter the promised land at the end of the great tribulation - Matthew 25:34

And you, who are reading this article, do you have this love for the Word of God?

Photo: David Kresz Rubins 'Stumbling Man' 1975, Indianapolis Article originally written on 11/22/2018