The patience and the faith of the saints

Revelation 13:10

He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

During the time to which this chapter alludes, two virtues will be of utmost importance. They will not be optional virtues. They shall not be merely preferred, but shall be essential and necessary. Patience and faith! The saints must have patience and faith! For you see, the beast, which is empowered by Satan himself, will be deceiving the whole world. Everyone whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life shall wonder and worship the beast. And furthermore, a second beast will emerge, who will cause the world, by means of miracles, to worship the first beast. It will be a great time or trial and tribulation. It shall be a time of great purifying and purging of the world. It shall be a time when only the true will remain. Those who are weak in their faith, and those who are not serious in their faith shall be separated out. The true saints shall remain, and only they! For without the mark of the beast, no one will buy or sell. One must decide to whom their allegiance will be pledged. And pledging allegiance to the Lamb will cause great poverty, deprivation, threat, and possible death. But the saints shall endure! He that shall endure unto the end shall be saved!

Patience and faith! These two virtues. Patience in the trials that will come during those few desperate years. Patience to endure mocking, ridicule, persecution, and harm. Faith! Remaining strong in faith even when the greatest force in the world seems to be the archenemy of Christ. Even when safety and security seems to be promised by capitulation to the Antichrist and his plans. Faith in Christ when the image of the beast is speaking! Faith in Christ when all who proclaim the name of Christ will be immediately and publicly disdained and destroyed. The saints must have faith! Now, the magnitude of this is nothing of the same scale of things that we currently face. However, our faith becomes weak when one little thing does not go our way. Our faith becomes weak when we see certain things happen about us that don’t even involve ourselves. We have so much comfort and so little resistance, that very little strain has been placed on our faith. And a faith that is not strained is not strong. Certainly, many of us have been severely and greatly tested in our faith through circumstances. But for the major part, we have not experienced any thing to the degree of what we read here. Therefore, it ought to be easier for us to learn these two—patience and faith!

Dear one, keep patience when others cause you trouble and turmoil; keep patience amid the consternation of the world; keep patience when trials and troubles assail, and your life runs contrary to your plan. Be patient as you wait for the Lord to unfold His everlasting plan in you and through you. And faith! Keep the faith when the world rejects our Lord. Keep the faith when many other arguments and comments insult the faith that we hold dear. Give none attention to it! Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away! Do not give your heart and mind to the foolishness of this world. Dear friends, keep the faith! And whatever you may be in the midst of today, and whatever may be bringing angst and concern to your heart and mind, give it up! All you need is to have these two virtues, and you shall be able to endure to the end.

“Father, we pray that you would implant imperishably in our hearts these two virtues that will stand the test of time. Give us patience and faith every day as we trust you and live for you. May we not be weakened in our faith because of circumstances, and may we not lose patience when patience is difficult. May we keep our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith. In His holy name we pray, Amen.”