The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 49
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise.” 2 Peter 3:9. He
does not forget or neglect His children; but He permits the wicked to
reveal their true character, that none who desire to do His will may be
deceived concerning them. Again, the righteous are placed in the furnace
of affliction, that they themselves may be purified; that their example
may convince others of the reality of faith and godliness; and also that
their consistent course may condemn the ungodly and unbelieving.
God permits the wicked to prosper and to reveal their enmity against
Him, that when they shall have filled up the measure of their iniquity
all may see His 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.
48