God looks for opportunities to show Himself strong in the lives of His saints. This is true both historically and in the lives of His people living today.
The Bible has been unjustly criticized for stating that believers living in Daniel’s Seventieth Week could be “beheaded for the witness of Jesus.”
A martyr is one who is killed for his faith. Only two individuals are specifically named as martyrs in scripture: Stephen and Antipas.
In the Bible, jealousy, similar to anger, is closely associated to a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 29:20; Psalm 79:5; Ezekiel 36:5; Ezekiel 38:19). As man provokes the Lord to jealousy, the Lord responds with judgment. At times, that judgment may be the consumption of the one who provoked the Lord. At other times, that consumption may be directed toward the very thing that the man put before the Lord. Either way, God’s jealousy is a consuming fire (Zephaniah 1:18; Zephaniah 3:8). In one biblical instance, the zeal of a man named Phinehas stopped the consuming fire of God’s jealousy (Numbers 25:11). Men should wisely seek the Lord today in hopes of delaying the fire of God’s wrath and anger upon their nations and homes.
In the last days, believers must remain alert. There is no time for sleeping. For it is while believers sleep that the enemy works most effectively. Even the Lord Jesus acknowledged the great need of the day when He said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Just as it was in the days of Gideon (Judges 7:5-7), the Lord wants soldiers who are fully aware of their surroundings. A sober minded believer keeps his eyes open, knowing he has an enemy that is on the prowl and ready to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The sober minded believer also knows that one lapse in judgment can cause immense damage during the spiritual battle. Sobriety keeps every reality in the forefront of the mind.
A sleeping enemy is generally easiest to overcome. The Devil is no stronger today than he was in the early days of the church, yet he seemingly works with a much greater success rate in these last days. Something has changed and it is not the Devil, or the Lord, so it must be believers. Men have lost their sobriety. They seem so busy playing games, sleeping, or murmuring to notice that the enemy is on the prowl. This lack of sobriety has caused great harm. Fewer souls are being saved, believers have little to no desire to live holy, and even fewer know enough Bible to keep from being deceived. Believers cannot fight the Devil while sleeping or distracted. A good fight requires sobriety!
