November 22, 2022
From that time, many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:66-68
“Measures were at once taken for the arrest of every Lutheran in Paris. A poor artisan, an adherent to the reformed faith, who had been accustomed to summoning the believers to their secret assemblies, was seized and, with the threat of instant death at the stake, was commanded to conduct the papal emissary to the home of every Protestant in the city. He shrank in horror from the base proposal, but at last fear of the flames prevailed, and he consented to become the betrayer of his brethren. Preceded by the host, and surrounded by a train of priests, incense bearers, monks, and soldiers, Morin, the royal detective, with the traitor, slowly and silently passed through the streets of the city. The demonstration was ostensibly in honor of the “holy sacrament,” an act of expiation for the insult put upon the mass by the protestors. But beneath this pageant, a deadly purpose was concealed. On arriving opposite the house of a Lutheran, the betrayer made a sign, but no word was uttered. The procession halted, the house was entered, the family were dragged forth and chained, and the terrible company went forward in search of fresh victims. They spared no house, great or small, not even the colleges of the University of Paris . . . . Morin made all the city quake . . . . It was a reign of terror.” The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White (page 226)
When King Francis I finally made up his mind, he chose the side of evil. All of his energy and influence was directed against the cause of Christ. It is so very sad that the poor artisan who had believed the true message allowed threats from such a wicked man to convince him to betray his brethren. Beloved, times of testing are ahead. You may be in the midst of a fiery trial even at this moment. Make sure that your focus is only on Jesus, The Overcomer (what it means to be called Israel - see Genesis 32:28). If our trust or focus is on anyone other than Jesus, we place ourselves at risk of failing to stand the barrage of testing to come. Remember that God allows testing in the essential process of refinement and sanctification. He will instantly come to the aid of every dear soul whose heart is fully given to Him. Testing, properly endured, will serve to destroy the bonds of the enemy that hold you captive . . . . to set you free!
“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, and he shall not be hurt by the second death. I will give him hidden manna and a white stone with a new name. I will give him power over the nations and I will give him the morning star; he shall be clothed in white garments. I will not blot out his name from the book of life. I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and I will write on him My new name; he who overcomes will be granted to sit with Me on My throne. (promises compiled from Revelation 2 and 3)