justice and mercy in their utter destruction . The day of His vengeance hastens , when all who have transgressed His law and oppressed His people will meet the just recompense of their deeds ; when every act of cruelty or injustice toward God ' s faithful ones will be punished as though done to Christ Himself .
There is another and more important question that should engage the attention of the churches of today . The apostle Paul declares that " all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution ." 2 Timothy 3:12 . Why is it , then , that persecution seems in a great degree to slumber ? The only reason is that the church has conformed to the world ' s standard and therefore awakens no opposition . The religion which is current in our day is not of the pure and holy character that marked the Christian faith in the days of Christ and His apostles . It is only because of the spirit of compromise with sin , because the great truths of the word of God are so indifferently regarded , because there is so little vital godliness in the church , that Christianity is apparently so popular with the world . Let there be a revival of the faith and power of the early church , and the spirit of persecution will be revived , and the fires of persecution will be rekindled .
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