Patience Endurance is the only Option for Christians.
“If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.” – Revelation 13:9,10. NASB
When talking about the end of the world Jesus said, “He that endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13). What we are about to discover is not an easy time for God’s people.
These 2 verses are the centre of the Chiasm that began with the end of the previous one in Rev 12:17. It’s opposite/opposing verse is Rev14: 1. This identifies the 144,000 – the group who are sealed – as the group in 12:17 who have patience endurance and “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.” They are the ones who stand for what was seen in heaven in Revelation 11:19 – the ark containing the Ten Commandments. While this group is yet future it is my heart’s desire to be in that group should I live to see it.
The word translated “patience” or “endurance” (RSV, NKJV, NIV,) here is literally “remaining under.” It is the picture of someone stuck for a time under a heavy burden or difficulty. He or she is in a position to escape the load but chooses not to for some higher cause than just escaping difficulty. Patience is about hanging in there for the long term, even when it doesn’t feel great in the short term. In Revelation 13:10 God’s people are willing to endure captivity and death because their hearts and minds are in heavenly places.
What is the point of patient endurance?
One reason why God asks us to wait is that waiting is a tremendous tool for personal growth. In Romans 5:3-4 Paul tells us that suffering produces patience (same word as Revelation 13:10) and patience produces character. So, patience is not an option for Christians. In those times of waiting, God’s plans and purposes are revealed to us in ways we would never discern in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It develops strength of character in us.
It will take great strength of character to endure the trials of the End-time. Enduring is never fun, but it’s a lot easier when you keep your eye on things above! Endurance is the substance of faith.
Paul said, “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36 NASB) Paul was misunderstood, maligned, mistreated, persecuted, and often reviled but he pressed on in faith until death. How can we learn to do the same in discouraging circumstances? Luke declared (quoting Paul) in Acts 14:22, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
A ‘saint’ according to the biblical definition is anyone who is a faithful follower of Jesus, not someone who has been ‘canonised’ by an apostate organization. If you are a believer and follower of Jesus, you are one of the saints. Notice e.g., how Paul starts most of his letters in 1 Corinthians 1:2. According to today’s verse a characteristic of the saints is patient endurance. Followers of God are persistent in well-doing. They are faithful in trial. They are not content to live on the surface, they go deep into God’s Word, willing to follow wherever the Word leads.
In 1938 the King of Saudi Arabia authorized a team of Americans to search for water in the desert bordering the Persian Gulf. He was thinking of places where he could refresh his warrior’s horse and camels.
But the team, from Standard Oil of California, had something else in mind. Oil had been discovered in other countries in the region, and the engineers thought they would find more in Saudi Arabia. Over several years, they drilled more than half a dozen holes without result. They could easily have given up in frustration. Instead, they decided to see if going deeper than normal might make a difference. So, they set up their equipment again at well number 7 and dug deeper than they had ever dug before. They burrowed all the way to a depth of over 1500m and finally hit the first sign of what would turn out to be the largest supply of crude oil in the world. A willingness to go a little deeper was all that stood between failure and unimaginable success.
The King was unimpressed and did nothing for 1 year not knowing that this discovery would change everything for his Kingdom. Up until this time, the primary source of income in the Saudi kingdom came from servicing pilgrims in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. But even the first shipment of oil produced wealth beyond all expectations. This isolated country with no other exportable product now became a major factor in global politics. The Saudi royal family became major players on the world scene. Their wealth became a crucial factor in Middle East politics and bargaining over global energy supplies. All because a handful of American engineers were not willing to be content with a surface approach to their task.
With the Bible, we can be like a child on the seashore and splash around on its edges or we can be like deep sea divers who plummet the depth of His word.