October 7: A GOOD TESTIMONY THROUGH FAITH
“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. Revelation 16:15-16
To watch for Jesus’ coming is to keep the blessed hope (Titus 2:13) alive! The word of God also tells us about specific aspects of the showdown that we will encounter in the last days. An important point in the above passage relates to the word gathered. This is the only place in all of the Bible where the word Armageddon is used.
The idea of the battle of Armageddon should be understood in the context of this passage. The Bible teaches that it’s a gathering. The original word for “gather” in verse 16 actually means “to entertain.” So here we are given a practical view into the end-time showdown: the devil is seeking to entertain us out of the kingdom of God. The devil is working through media and entertainment to introduce spiritualism into our lives and continually reinforce it. That’s why anywhere you look, and everywhere you turn, you will find spiritualism in all forms of entertainment: sports and news programs, in our music, on television, in movies, in novels and non-fiction books, in Christian “self-help” publications, in magazines, children’s books, videos, podcasts, and in most churches. It’s all over the world!
The Bible says it’s like frogs. The plague of frogs was the last plague in Egypt (see Exodus 8:2-6) that Pharaoh’s magicians were able to copy (v.7). The frogs were everywhere, even inside the houses. It is accurate to say of spiritualism that there is nowhere that it isn’t. In contrast to this, Jesus tells each one to hold on to his garments, a specific reference to the garments of Christ’s righteousness. How can we do this? Some excellent answers are found in the written word: Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard… those who meditate on His name… (Malachi 3:16); These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes… (Revelation 14:4) A faith that works is a faith that obeys, regardless of not understanding the “why” of the instruction. One who obtain[s] a good testimony through faith places his highest regard upon God and lives in obedience to Him (see Hebrews 11:8,39). A hundred and twenty-three years ago, Ellen White wrote this in her book entitled EDUCATION:
“A large share of the periodicals and books that, like the frogs of Egypt are overspreading the land, are not merely commonplace, idle, and innovating, but unclean and degrading. Their effect is not merely to intoxicate and ruin the mind, but to corrupt and destroy the soul.”
John the Revelator wrote of the union of the unholy trinity: And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Revelation 16:13-14