October 25: HONORING THE COVENANT – KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:12 (see also 13:10)

The message of the third angel is a stern warning to the unsaved. But it is also for the benefit of the saints as a strong impetus to remain steadfast in faithfulness to Him who paid the terrible penalty Himself; the penalty of His broken law. The character of steadfastness is strengthened by the exercise of patient endurance. Though we daily see all around us that the world is getting worse, the Scriptures underscore that reality with another reality: the grace of God that saves is available to each of us in our daily walk with Him. His grace is lavishly dispensed as needed just for the asking!

…knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:3-4

The original Greek translated patience can also be translated endurance: For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. Therefore . . . let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… (Hebrews 10:36; 12:1)

Our opening verse today is a reminder that Satan, through his allies in Revelation 13, is waging war with the remnant of [the pure woman’s] seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (12:17 KJV). The grace of God sustains a faithful remnant in every era of earth’s history, and in the final crisis, a clear choice will be laid before the world. The ordeal in Daniel 3 of the enormous golden image that was erected on the plain of Dura is a microcosm of the last-day tension that will come upon the world. People were invited to a “dedication” (v.3) of the image that had been set up. This sounded like a nice event, accompanied by all kinds of music (v.5). But Daniel’s three friends who attended the dedication ceremony discovered that all the people were commanded to bow down before it in worship (v.6), a command which directly conflicts with the second commandment (see Exodus 20:4-6). At this point, they could have blended in by going down to lace up their sandals, yet they quietly stood erect. The rest of the story in Daniel 3 is a testimony of faithfulness to their God, whom they feared reverently and loved wholeheartedly. They would rather risk death than disobey their heavenly Father (v.18).

The coming crisis will be an explicit command to disregard the fourth commandment, implicitly causing people to disregard the first three as well. It will be presented as a very persuasive argument (see Colossians 2:4). But Christians whose goal it is to become like Christ, will see through it. They know that it is He who does the work of transforming, and they will ‘stand erect’ upon His promise.

…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Hebrews 12:2-3

For further study: Psalm 33:6,9; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 10:16; James 1:21