Forgive to Be Forgiven

And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. (Matthew 6:12)

Few things are more precious to receive than forgiveness. After carrying the burden of our sin, it is wonderfully freeing to know that the one we have wronged has completely forgiven us. Jesus told His disciples to ask God for forgiveness every time they prayed. Jesus knew that we would daily incur debts against God, as we inevitably fall short of God’s standard. A day does not go by that we do not need to ask God to remove our debt against Him.

Jesus warned that we should expect forgiveness from God as we forgive those who sin against us, for God will forgive us in the same way we forgive others (Matt. 6:15). God’s nature is forgiveness (Exod. 34:6–7). If we are to be His disciples, we must follow His example. If God will forgive our most relentless enemy, we can do nothing less. Jesus did not say that certain offenses are unworthy of our forgiveness. We have no biblical excuse for allowing unforgiveness in our hearts.

If you choose to withhold forgiveness from someone, your worship and prayers are futile (Matt. 5:23–24). Ask God to make you aware of those dark corners in your life where you are harboring resentment. A keen awareness of your own need for forgiveness will put the offenses of others in their proper light. Ask God to make you like Christ so that, even when you are being persecuted, you can pray “Father, forgive them.”

God’s Eternal Perspective

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2)

Big assignments require big characters. God will give you a responsibility in proportion to the size of your character. In Bible times, a person’s name represented his character; to know someone’s name was to know what the person was like. That’s why God changed the name of some when He transformed their character. For example, the Lord wanted to bless all the nations of the earth through Abram, yet Abram’s character was too weak for such a great task. God said He would make Abram’s name great so that He could make him a blessing to future generations. Then over the next twenty-five years, God developed Abraham’s character to match the name He had given him. God sees your life from His eternal perspective. He will take whatever time is necessary to grow your character to match His assignment for you. If you have not received a divine commission lately, it may be that your character needs maturing. Are you impatient to begin your work before God has refined your character? A small character will fail in a large responsibility every time. Don’t be too hasty to get to the work. Character-building can be long and painful. It took twenty-five years before God entrusted Abraham with his first son and set in motion the establishment of the nation of Israel. Yet God was true to His word, and thousands of years later people continue to be blessed by the account of Abraham’s life and by his descendant, Jesus.

How is God building your character? Do you sense_He has a task for you that will require a far greater_man or woman than you presently are? Will you yield to God as He works in your life to prepare you for your_next assignment?

Go!

 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)

Our Master commands us to “go.” We need permission to stay! The gospel is the account of Jesus’ leaving His Father’s right hand to go to Calvary. Jesus instructed those who wanted to be His disciples to leave their homes and their comforts and follow Him. Some insisted that they could not go yet because they still had to care for elderly parents (Luke 9:59–60). Others wanted to make sure everything was in order first (Luke 9:61–62). Still others expressed willingness to follow but wanted to know the details of what they would be doing (Luke 9:57–58). Jesus never excused those who struggled to follow Him. He made it clear that to follow Him meant He set the direction and they were to follow.

We can convince ourselves that Jesus does not really want us to adjust our lives, pointing to the success we are enjoying right where we are. Yet Jesus often told His disciples to go elsewhere in spite of the success they were experiencing. Peter had just pulled in the greatest catch of fish of his entire career when Jesus invited him to leave everything (Luke 5:1–11). Philip was enjoying astounding success as an evangelist when the Holy Spirit instructed him to go to the desert (Acts 8:25–40). Success where we are can be our greatest hindrance to going where Jesus wants us to be.

If you become too comfortable where you are, you may resist Christ’s invitation to go elsewhere. Don’t assume that God does not want you to go in service to Him. He may lead you across the street to share the gospel with your neighbor or to the other side of the world. Wherever He leads, be prepared to go. 

Armageddon

 Revelation 19:7

The signing of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty on March 26, 1979, marked an emotional moment in the history of the Middle East. After years of bitter animosity punctuated by military conflict, an Arab nation and Jewish nation embraced each other with promises of peace.

What did it signify for the little pocket of Zionism whose struggles for survival have drawn United States approval and support? Sadat, before his death, was unable to provide the security and permanent peace which has eluded Israel since the days of Abraham. The answer to Israel's dilemma is clearly revealed in the fantastic prophecies of the Bible.

According to the Word of God, Israel will not find true deliverance from her enemies until it is secured for her by the kings of the east. Her last war has not yet been fought. The book of Revelation describes an alliance with some powerful defenders who finally destroy the oppressors of Israel and establish her in eternal security. Those allies are given the enigmatic title "kings of the east" in Revelation 16:12. They actually intervene to deliver Israel during the war of Armageddon, described in the Bible as the final conflict to take place on this planet. All nations will be involved in this battle, but Israel will be the only victor.

Our purpose in this study is to answer a number of questions. What is the nature of that final war of Armageddon? How can all the countries of the world be involved in it? How is it possible for only one group, the people of Israel, to survive this holocaust? Who are the mysterious kings of the east that effect her victory? And finally, how is Israel delivered from her enemies by the drying up of the Euphrates River, as described in Revelation 16:12?

First of all, we need to find out if the present nation of Israel is the same Israel which is designated in the book of Revelation as the people of God. Some tremendous prophecies are found in that book, most of them concerned with saving the embattled remnant group of faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Those followers are sometimes referred to as the "tribes of Israel" and spoken of in the context of Jewish customs. Does this mean that the literal nation of Israel - the one which is fighting with tanks and bombs - will completely reverse itself and become Christians? Will they lay aside their Zionist ambitions to kill their attackers and espouse the peaceful principles of the sermon on the mount - the one about loving the enemy and turning the other cheek?

Millions of Bible students believe that this kind of spectacular conversion must take place in order for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. They base their belief upon the prophecies found in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, etc., regarding Israel's restoration and final triumph. Are they correct? It is true that the prophets painted glowing word pictures of Israel's future and recorded scores of promises about her authority over other nations. But is the Israel of the Old Testament the same Israel of the book of Revelation? Were the promises unconditional and irrevocable? Will the literal, fleshly descendants of Abraham turn en masse to the Messiah, be restored as a nation, and saved as a people?

Promises to Israel Conditional

A careful study of the Bible reveals that those promises of the Old Testament were not unconditional promises at all. Repeatedly, the nation of Israel was warned of the dire consequences of disobedience. Both blessing and curse were set before them, depending on obedience or disobedience. Because of continued patterns of rebellion, God allowed them to be decimated and scattered into Babylonian captivity for seventy years. Many prophets were raised up by God to foretell their return from that captivity. Modern commentators have made the mistake of applying those prophecies of restoration to some future gathering of Israel. They refuse to see that the restoration spoken of by Isaiah and Jeremiah has already taken place.

There is neither time nor space to record here a fraction of the graphic threats of rejection made to Israel. Over and over God gave warnings like this: "And if thou wilt … do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever … But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments … Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people."
1 Kings 9:4-7.

Finally, as related through the prophet Daniel, God allotted a probationary period of 490 years for the Jewish people to see what they would do about the Messiah (Daniel 9:24). That prophetic time period of 70 weeks (a day for a year, Ezekiel 4:6) began with the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem (Artaxerxes' decree in 457 B.C., Ezra 7:11) and ended in 34 A.D. In that same year the gospel began to go to the Gentiles, Stephen was stoned, and Paul went forth to begin his unique ministry to the non-Jews. The occasion marked the formal and final separation of Israel from its covenant relationship.

Jesus had explained to the Jewish leaders in the clearest possible language that their rejection of Him would seal their own rejection as the children of the kingdom. "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the the fruits thereof." Matthew 21:43.

There is no mystery as to why the hundreds of specific Old Testament promises were never fulfilled to Israel. They utterly failed to meet the conditions of obedience. Otherwise, they would have inherited the earth, been delivered from all their enemies, and made Jerusalem the worship center for all nations.

Who Is True Israel?

The big question is this: Will God's promises fail just because the literal descendants of Abraham did not meet the terms of the covenant? Were the promises transferred to that other "nation" to whom Jesus said the kingdom would be given? Or must we still put our faith in some future turnaround that will restore national Israel to the divine favor? All those points will be completely clarified the moment we establish one basic rule of biblical interpretation. Without this principle in mind no one can properly understand the books of Daniel and Revelation, nor can we identify the true Israel of today.

Here is the rule: There is a primary, local, literal application of prophecy which symbolizes a future, worldwide, spiritual application. By applying this principle to the Old Testament Scriptures there is absolutely no confusion as to the place of Israel in prophecy and history.

All the glorious promises were primarily aimed toward immediate blessings that God wanted to bestow on the nation. But in a secondary sense they pointed forward to a larger spiritual fulfillment on a worldwide level. Even though the local fulfillment failed when Israel failed to be faithful, the promises were never nullified or withdrawn. They will be honored but only to that "nation" which Jesus said must replace the Jews as receivers of the kingdom. Who is that nation and people? The New Testament is saturated with the most explicit statements as to who the new Israel is.

Peter describes those "which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God" in these words: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9, 10. Here is the new nation which replaces the nation of Israel. The Gentiles who will receive the true Messiah now enter into the New Covenant, ratified by the blood of the cross, and become the true spiritual Israel of God. They who were not God's people become His "holy nation."

Will they receive the very same promises that were given to Abraham's descendants? Indeed, the Bible says that they are counted as the actual seed of Abraham. "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:29. Paul makes it even clearer in Romans 9:8. "They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." Again, Paul wrote, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart." Romans 2:28, 29.

Notice that true Israel will be characterized by circumcision of the heart and not of the flesh. What is heart circumcision? "Ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ." Colossians 2:11. Don't miss the significance of that text. Just as the Old Covenant was represented by the cutting off of the physical flesh, so the New Covenant would be exemplied by the cutting off of the fleshly nature of sin. In other words, all who accept Christ and are born again are the truly circumcised and the only true Jews. And according to Paul they also will inherit the promises made to Abraham.

After the crucifixion of Christ, there is not one indication that the literal Jews were accorded any recognition as the children of God. It is true that the door was left open through the preaching of the apostles until 34 A.D., the end of Daniel's seventy-week prophecy. But from that time on no recognition is given to Israel as a nation. Israel henceforth is God's people, made up of all those who accept the Saviour, whether Jew or Gentile. The Old Testament imagery and terminology is still used, especially in the book of Revelation, but Israel is now the church.

So we can see that there was no failure of the promises at all. They simply were transferred to the true spiritual Israel, which is the church, made up of all true believers in Christ. And the things that will happen to the church spiritually were foreshadowed by what happened to ancient Israel in a literal sense. Let's look at a simple example of this principle in operation.

In the midst of Ezekiel's portrayal of Israel's victory over her enemies and influence over the nations, he began to describe a magnificent temple that would be built. Several chapters (40-48) are devoted to the precise measurements and physical appointments of that temple. Yet the temple has never been built. Other prophets referred to the program of building or restoring such a temple. Amos prophesied, "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old." Amos 9:11.

Many modern interpreters apply this promise to some future construction of a physical temple. But the Bible principle is that there is a secondary, worldwide fulfillment which is not physical, but spiritual. The New Testament confirms this by explaining how the prophecy of Amos has been fulfilled. "Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up." Acts 15:14-16.

Please notice how James applies the Old Testament temple prophecies to the living church! The physical temple has now become the spiritual temple of the church, made up of Gentiles and all true believers. No one should now be looking for any restored, literal temple to be built. The body of Christ's church is now the temple (1 Corinthians 3:16), and we are the "lively stones" of that "spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:5).

Some have felt confused because much of the Old Testament terminology is carried over into the New Testament description of the church - words like kingdom, nation, Israel, temple, Jerusalem, Zion, tribes of Israel, etc. Even Christ said to the Pharisees, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, (literal Israel) and given to a nation (spiritual Israel) bringing forth the fruits thereof." Matthew 21:43. This is one reason the futurists and dispensationalists believe the book of Revelation pertains to the literal Jew in modern Israel. But there is no cause for such confusion. The explanation had been so clearly made in so many places that the New Testament writer assumed all were aware that the church now replaced national Israel.

The Two Babylons

As we enter into a study of Armageddon, it is tremendously important to keep this great rule of interpretation before us. The vast confusion on prophecy today stems from ignorance of this principle. Let us repeat once more that the prophecies given by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc., have a double application - one to be fulfilled locally; the other to be fulfilled on a worldwide scale in the last days. And the church takes the place of the nation as God's true chosen people. With this background we are prepared to study the subject of Armageddon. That world-ending conflict is tied closely to the things we have just stated about spiritual Israel and a secondary application of prophecy. A most amazing parallel exists between what happened to ancient Israel and the events concerning spiritual Israel in the book of Revelation.

You will notice that God's people had almost the same experience in the Old Testament and the New Testament. They were forced to worship an image and rescued by someone from the east who dried up the river Euphrates to set them free. Within this broad outline there are scores of other astonishing similarities between the two Israels - one literal and the other spiritual.

It is obvious that the church - God's people of the last days - will be persecuted and threatened with death just like ancient Israel. In the book of Revelation they are delivered from spiritual Babylon in connection with the battle of Armageddon. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. … And he gathered them together in a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Revelation 16:12-16.

These verses are filled with great meaning. They reveal that three powerful forces will be utilized by Satan in preparing the way for Armageddon. Those three - the beast, dragon and false prophet - stir up the political powers of earth to take part in that war. It is apparent that those three are religious powers, at least in their claims, because they work miracles to impress the governments of the earth. Miracles are only operative within the realm of religion.

Time and space does not allow us to give all the biblical evidence to show how these three symbols incorporate all the modern forms of counterfeit religion. Rejecting the authority of God's law and choosing the easy traditions of pagan worship patterns, these combined ecclesiastical systems will wield a mighty influence in drawing all the world into the battle of Armageddon.

Armageddon - Satan vs. God

Before we try to determine the identity of the "kings of the east" and what it means to "dry up the river Euphrates," we must understand more clearly what Armageddon really involves. The Scriptures picture it as the final decisive struggle which climaxes the age-long war between Christ and Satan. The entire world is involved because the good and evil people are scattered among all nations of the earth. Armageddon represents the all-out effort of Satan to destroy the people who dare to obey God in the face of threatened torture and death.

Armageddon is but the climax of a 6,000-year program by Satan to keep God's people from being saved. As the adversary, whose self-seeking caused him to be cast out of heaven, Satan declared his purpose to overthrow God and take over His universal government. Listen to his boast in Isaiah 14:13, 14. "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."

This incredible claim of Satan exposes the heart of his plan to set himself up in place of God. To subvert the worship of God's subjects to himself it would seem both natural and necessary for Satan to build his appeal around religion. Working in the guise of counterfeit religious systems and false worship, he has woven a clever composite of truth and error down through the ages. His masterpiece of deception will occur at the end-time when he works through the beast power to enforce a mark of loyalty on every person. Those who refuse the mark will be sentenced to death, and thus, the final obstacle will be removed for Satan to claim all creation as his followers. So reads the blueprint of Satan's strategy.

God Dwells in Zion

Now notice, again, where Satan wanted to sit. He said, "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north." Why did he say that? This point is very important. The expression "mount of the congregation" is undoubtedly referring to the holy mount of God's dwelling place. Throughout the Bible it is spoken of as mount Zion. "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." Psalm 48:2.

The striking thing is that God's place, mount Zion, is located in the sides of the north. Now we understand why Satan wanted to sit on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. That is where God will gather His people, His congregation. Mount Zion is a place of safety. Satan wants to destroy the congregation or people of God. He would penetrate the very elect by his deceptions and take them, along with the throne of God. The psalmist said, "Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion." Psalm 9:11.

Originally, Zion was the designated spot where the temple was located, in the north part of Jerusalem. Later, it came to be known as a symbol of the city of Jerusalem. It also is applied throughout Scripture to the whole of God's people. But after the Jews rejected Jesus the term Zion became the designation for the church. Thus in the New Testament it no longer identifies an earthly location, but a people - the people of the church who are scattered throughout the world, or else the spiritual place of God's presence and protection.

All through the Bible God is described as drawing or gathering His people to Zion where they can be safe with Him. "Blow the trumpet in Zion, … call a solemn assembly: Gather the people, sanctify the congregation." Joel 2:15, 16. "For in mount Zion … shall be deliverance." Joel 2:32. In Revelation 14:1 the redeemed are pictured as having been delivered from the beast power of the previous chapter and are safe in mount Zion. "And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads."

But while God programs a gathering of His people to Himself in Zion, Satan also has a gathering program. It is a gathering of his forces for Armageddon. "For they are the spirits of devils … to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. … And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Revelation 16:14, 16. This gathering is to counteract God's gathering His saints to mount Zion. Joel also speaks about that same gathering; "Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about … Let the heathen … come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat … The Lord also shall roar out of Zion … but the Lord will be the hope of his people." Joel 3:11, 12, 16.

This is another description of that final conflict called Armageddon. The valley of Jehoshaphat is just another title for the place of battle. It will involve every nation on earth. The "heathen" is a term to describe those who are not God's people. Satan will marshall the kings of the earth and all the wicked people to oppose the faithful saints of God. The Lord will be involved in the battle ("The Lord shall roar out of Zion"), because He fights for His people. In essence, it is a tremendous contest between Christ and Satan with followers of both sides being involved.

Here is where we get to the heart of the subject. The verse calls attention to the Hebrew word for Armageddon. Apparently, the word is rooted in the Hebrew term "har moed," which means "mount of the congregation" or "mount of the assembly." Do you see where this leads us? That same word (har moed) was used by Satan when he said, "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation." This ties the battle of Armageddon to the original threat of Satan to capture and destroy the congregation of God - in mount Zion.

And the final attempt of the evil one to carry out his threat reaches down to the very last events of this earth. John the revelator described it under the sixth plague. He saw unclean spirits going out to the kings of the earth, working miracles, and gathering them to Armageddon. These are religious forces working on the political rulers and influencing them to destroy God's faithful ones.

If you want to read the thrilling account of God's part in Armageddon, study Revelation 19. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war … And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean … and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Revelation 19:11-15.

Several things stand out in this symbolic picture of Christ and His second coming. The armies of heaven make war and "smite the nations." Verse 15. These are the nations which were stirred by evil spirits in Revelation 16:14. Christ prevails in this Armageddon clash. Notice that this war is described as treading the winepress of the wrath of God. In Revelation 15:1 the seven last plagues are designated as "the wrath of God." Since the battle of Armageddon is set up under the sixth plague, and the plagues are called the wrath of God; and since Christ's army makes war by treading the winepress of God's wrath, we must conclude that Revelation 19 is a clear picture of Armageddon.

Incidentally, the vials of the wrath of God were poured on the whole earth. "Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." Revelation 16:1. This is why all the nations are involved in Armageddon. The good and evil of all the world will be drawn into it. Since God's people are scattered in every country, the entire earth is spoken of as being affected by the plagues, one of which is Armageddon.

Euphrates Dried Up

We are now prepared to examine Revelation 16:12 and let the Bible interpret the "drying up of the great river Euphrates" to prepare the way for the "kings of the east." Whatever these events are, they occur as Armageddon approaches a violent climax.

In order to understand this prophecy, we must refer to the parallel experience of ancient Babylon. Six hundred years before Christ was born, the pagan kingdom of Babylon was the great enemy of God's people. For 70 years they held the Hebrew people in subjection and bondage. Finally Babylon was overthrown by Cyrus the Mede, and the Israelites were delivered. Cyrus came from the east and captured Babylon by diverting the Euphrates River, thus getting access under the water gates of the channel. God said to Babylon, "I will dry up thy rivers. … Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus … to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut." Isaiah 44:27; 45:1. God "raised up the righteous man (Cyrus) from the east." Isaiah 41:2. Cyrus is referred to by God as the "anointed" and "the righteous man."

According to the principle of interpretation, the literal account in the Old Testament must be applied in a spiritual sense at the end-time. Thus, we read in the book of Revelation about spiritual Israel (the church) being oppressed by "Babylon the Great" (Revelation 17:5, 6). This Babylon is not a physical kingdom but a counterfeit religious system manipulated by Satan. God's people are finally delivered from the power of spiritual Babylon by the drying up of the waters of the river Euphrates. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." Revelation 16:12.

The startling similarity to the Old Testament story is obvious, but we must remember that the secondary application cannot be literal. The immediate fulfillment is always literal and local, but the last-day fulfillment reaches worldwide and has a spiritual application only.

So we do not expect a literal Cyrus to dry up a literal river to deliver a literal Israel. We have already discovered that all God's true people are spiritual Israelites. Now what does the water represent? "The waters which thou sawest … are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." Revelation 17:15. In this chapter Babylon the Great is pictured as sitting "upon many waters" (Revelation 17:1). The waters are identified as people and nations who give support to the great Babylon harlot (false religion) who persecutes the true saints. Revelation 17:6.

So the drying up of the waters would represent the withdrawing of support by those people who had been followers of the Babylon system. This is one of the final events that happens just before the coming of Christ. The people recognize that they have been duped, and in a rage they turn on each other. Zechariah describes what takes place under this seventh plague as Armageddon reaches its climax. "And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem (God's people); … And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour." Zechariah 14:12, 13.

John described the scene thus, "These shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." Revelation 17:16.

Just as literal Euphrates in ancient Babylon was turned from an asset to a means of destroying her, so the supporting waters (people) of the spiritual Babylon turn into the means of her destruction. This drying up of support prepares the way for the "kings of the east" to come and deliver the people of God from the hand of Babylon.

Who Are the Kings of the East?

Who are these "kings of the east"? Here is one of the most exciting aspects of the battle of Armageddon. Just as God's place in Zion was located in the "sides of the north," so His approach is always referred to as from the east. Why? Because anciently Zion was the actual hill north of the city of Jerusalem. Anyone coming from the east had to angle north because of the impassable deserts, and come into Zion from that direction. This is why both north and east are used in the Bible for God's quarters. "And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God." Revelation 7:2.

Christ will return to this earth from the east. "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:27. The "kings of the east" are exactly the same as the armies of heaven in Revelation 19 who triumph over "the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies." Verse 19. God's glory was described by Ezekiel as coming from the east. "He brought me to the gate … that looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east … and the earth shined with his glory." Ezekiel 43:1, 2.

John revealed the breathtaking majesty of Christ leading the armies of heaven to make war. "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses … And he hath on his vesture and his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:14, 16. What a picture! The kings of the east riding forth against "the kings of the earth" and of the whole world. Spiritual Babylon and all the forces who followed her are destroyed by the King of kings who shall reign forever and ever.

Cyrus, the man from the east, who saved literal Israel from the hands of ancient Babylon was a type of the "kings of the east" who would save spiritual Israel from Babylon. Just as Cyrus was called the "anointed one" and "the righteous man," so Jesus was designated by the same titles.

By now we can easily conclude that the second coming of Christ is really the only hope of Israel. God and Christ, the true Kings of the east, will burst upon this world at the midnight of man's extremity. When the mark of the beast is being enforced and every human plan of escape has dissolved, God's faithful ones will be snatched from certain death.

All Eyes on the East

What a tragedy that millions of Christians are looking in the wrong direction and expecting events to transpire that can never take place. Their eyes are fixed on the east all right, but on the Middle East where hate-filled sons of Abraham try to destroy each other with American and Soviet weaponry. What kind of travesty it would be to expect those political planners and militarists to fulfill the beautiful predictions of Isaiah's "lion and lamb" world of peace.

True it is that, for a moment, Isaac and Ishmael may stop fighting. It is also true that one of the signers of the agreement is called Israel. But let no one still cling to the empty hope that this Israel has anything to do with God's true people. They have been replaced by another nation, obedient and faithful - who have come from every kindred, tongue and people. They are the true Israel. They will never take up arms to fight anyone. They will live as Jesus lived and choose death before dishonor.

The frail confederacy of peace signed March 26, 1979, would be less than
futile, even if national Israel were still the chosen people of God. Years ago a similar alliance was formed and God appraised it in these words: "Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust
in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to
no purpose. … This is a rebellious people, … children that will not hear the law
of the Lord." Isaiah 30:3, 7, 9.

God is looking for those who will trust in right instead of might. To such He will provide deliverance from every enemy through the conquering kings of the east. Let us take our eyes away from the oil fields and political intrigues of the east and fix them on the eastern skies, because it is from there that our true allies will save us.

Clothed For Armageddon

Now we have been able to harmonize all the verses of Revelation 16:12-16 except that strange verse 15, which appears to be completely out of context with all the others. Why did the Holy Spirit inspire the placing of such a verse in the setting of Armageddon? "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." Then follow the words, "And he gathered them together into a place called … Armageddon."

What do proper clothes have to do with preparation for the approaching contest between Christ and Satan? And why is the wardrobe important for the ones waiting for Jesus to come? Revelation 19:7, 8 gives the surprising answer: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." Revelation 19:7, 8. Like a searchlight these words illuminate the meaning of Revelation 16:15. Those garments symbolize the righteousness of Christ with which every soul must be arrayed who would be ready to meet the Lord. The battle of Armageddon will be fought over the issue of Christ's righteousness. Only those who have trusted completely in the merits of Christ's sinless life and atoning death can triumph with Him over the forces of evil. "And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:11.

Here is the winning combination which finally will cast down the accuser of the brethren. The saints gained the victory by their simple faith in the sufficiency of the cross. No confidence in the flesh. No faith in the works of the law to justify. His merits alone to cleanse and to empower. So the combination is threefold: 1) faith in the righteousness of Jesus, 2) fearless sharing of the "word of their testimony," and 3) "they loved not their lives unto the death." In other words, they would rather die than sin.

When the cross has done this to a person, he can survive all the concentrated attacks of a thousand Armageddons. Demons, fallen angels and Satan himself must flee in terror before the authority of a Christ-filled life. True faith produces full obedience, and therefore, true righteousness by faith includes sanctification as well as justification. Those who would lay down their lives in death rather than disobey God will be the only ones who will refuse the mark of the beast.

Multitudes, with something less than true righteousness by faith, will not feel that obedience to all the commandments is worth dying for. Many will reason that Christ's obedience has been imputed to them, and therefore they need not be concerned about the works of the law. Such do not understand the full gospel. It is the "power of God unto salvation" - not just forgiving power, but keeping power. We are not just saved from the guilt of sin, but from the sin itself.

So Armageddon and preparation to meet Christ focus on a personal relationship with the Saviour. Clothed in the armor of His righteousness, the saints will prevail even in the face of a death decree. If you do not have the sweet assurance of that spiritual protection now, put on His robe this very moment. Woven in the loom of heaven, it contains no thread of human devising. Shattering the authority of sin in the life, it claims the merits and the power of Christ's life and atoning death. May this be your experience today.

Source: http://www.amazingfacts.org/items/Read_Media.asp?ID=647

Alone in the Crowd

 Philippians 2:5

Recently I discovered some very interesting things about a little sea creature that rates rather low on the Biblical scale. The unclean shrimp has a most marvelous manner of changing clothes six or eight times a year through a process called molting. Apparently a new suit begins to grow underneath the old skin. By scraping around on the rocks, the shrimp begins to shred and loosen the older outer layer which soon sloughs off completely, revealing the classy new covering underneath.

At the time of each molting, another fascinating phenomenon occurs. In response to some built-in primitive instinct every shrimp deliberately places a grain of sand in a special place in its head. At every molting cycle the little rock is discarded along with the old skin, and a new grain of sand is put carefully in place.

Because of the unique function of those rocks, they have been named "status stones" or stones of standing. They are absolutely necessary for the survival of these hardy marine animals. Without them the shrimp would be constantly confused and disoriented. In the wake of surging tides and currents they are tumbled over and over and upside down. It is only by feeling the slight tug of gravity on the rock in their head that they can recognize whether they are upside down or right side up.

In His great love and wisdom, God provided this mechanism to enable the lowly shrimp to keep a dignified balance amid the turbulent elements of its habitat.

Since it is obvious that no shrimp confided these facts to me, you might wonder how this amazing information came to light. Several years ago a marine biologist conducted an experiment on several shrimp which had been placed in a large aquarium. In the bottom of the aquarium the scientist placed steel filings instead of sand. When molting time came, each one of the shrimp picked up a piece of steel, instead of a rock, and placed it in its head.

Then the biologist brought a powerful electromagnet and placed it over the top of the aquarium. Immediately all the shrimp flipped upside down and began to swim around in an inverted position. The pull of the magnet on the steel sliver was stronger than the tug of gravity and they believed that up was down and down was up. To make the experiment more dramatic the scientist then brought a shrimp from the ocean and placed it in the aquarium. Naturally this newcomer on the scene was paddling around in the proper upright position.

Can't you imagine the consternation that probably was provoked by the appearance of this oddball in the tank? It seems highly likely that some nasty whispers began to circulate within those troubled waters. "Who does this nut think he is? Who is he trying to impress? Does this weirdo imagine that he is going to show us a better way to swim? Why is he doing it upside down?"

You see, that steel-in-the-head, wrong-way crowd had no inkling that the recent visitor was really the only shrimp who was swimming correctly. They had always depended on two things to prove they were right side up�their feeling, and what the majority around them were doing. But now that their status stone had been tampered with, they were deceived into believing a lie on both counts.

Following Feeling Or
Following The Crowd

The more I thought of that story, the more I realized that all of us are in an aquarium as we make our way through this world. Powerful magnets of temptation are all around us trying to disturb our spiritual balance and turn us upside down. Those who trust in feeling and majority opinion are easily up-ended by the strong attraction of outside forces. Consoled by the presence of so many others about them doing the same thing, they soon begin to see everything in relation to their distorted view. They reverse all the signs in order to read them better, and develop a firm conviction that they are balanced and correct, while everyone differing from them is wrong. Eventually they see wrong as right and right as wrong. Anyone who goes contrary to their perceptions is instantly branded as a fanatic or a critical troublemaker.

This points up one great truth: We cannot measure right and wrong by our feeling or by what the majority are doing! We need something from outside ourselves to tell us where the truth lies. Our impulses may be just as real as the pull of the magnet, but they could also be just as misleading. Our numerous friends may be most respectable and religious but their status stone could be linked to the same false guidance system, cleverly sabotaged by the enemy.

There is only one true, infallible status stone for the Christian, and that is the Bible. When that Word is placed in the mind, it provides a standard of truth which is always dependable. Every impulse of feeling should be tested by it. The total lifestyle, including words, actions and thoughts must be brought under the supervision of that one great directional control center. It is no exaggeration to state that most deviations from God's will today are based upon either following feeling or following the crowd.

How important it is for us to study these two powerful weapons that Satan utilized with such devilish expertise. Both of them are rooted within man's deepest psychological needs. We often overlook the fact that our spiritual enemy has been studying human nature for almost 6000 years�quite a bit longer than the most successful psychiatrist in practice today. He has also experimented with our emotional weaknesses, using these to exploit us in our most vulnerable moments.

How many have fallen prey to his manipulative devices? One clear look at our flesh-oriented society provides the answer. Jesus saw it long before it happened and tried to warn his disciples and us about the strength of those attacks. He said, "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth into life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14).

On another occasion the Master asked this significant question, "When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). In the same discourse He declared, "As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man" (Luke 17:26).

Obviously only a small proportion of earth's inhabitants will escape from the overwhelming deceptions of the last days and be saved. A little remnant, as always, will be more concerned about doing right than pleasing self, the crowd, or some other individual. The record of history consistently chronicles the story of that small company of dissenters who dared to reject the comfortable appeal of the crowd. The majority seem never to be searching for truth so much as for a smooth, easy, convenient religion which will allow them to live as they please. To them any doctrine which demands self-denial or a disciplined lifestyle is bad news.

Is It Easy to Preach The Truth?

This is undoubtedly why there is such a one-sided gospel being preached in most churches today. It is pleasant to speak things that are appreciated and well received. No messenger of God is hesitant to declare the precious truths about justification and free grace which require only faith and acceptance. Yet there is another side of the gospel which is concerned with fruits and good works. It is called sanctification. It speaks of obedience and Christ-like behavior in every life situation. That is the aspect of righteousness by faith which is very unpopular with the masses today. It demands action and obedience.

Are some preachers afraid to deliver the unadorned truth on this subject for fear of rejection and ridicule? Have they been intimidated by seeing other faithful watchmen attacked as legalistic and judgmental? You may answer that question on the basis of your own observations. The example of the prophet Jonah provides dramatic evidence that it is not easy to tell it like it is. No one would welcome his assignment.

Is it any easier to stand before practicing sinners of every hue and variety and deliver the ultimatum of Jesus, "Go and sin no more?" As an ambassador for God, I can tell you that there is a terrible temptation to feel sorry for those drug addicts, drunkards and prostitutes, and to tone down the requirements to give up the practice of sin. We want to be easy on them. We don't want to discourage them with the thought that they must change their lifestyle. At least, not immediately. Somehow we want to keep accommodating the carnal nature just a little bit to make religion more comfortable for them.

Question: Is there any true religion that endorses the continued practice of sin in any degree whatsoever? Is there any statement in the entire Bible which conveys the thought that we should only diminish the amount of sin we commit? Can the justifying, converting grace of Christ cover the practice of any deliberate, known sin? Paul declares: "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would" (Galatians 5:17).

If that statement is not strong enough on the subject, read the further word of the apostle in Romans 8:13, "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." There it is! We can do one or the other, but we cannot do both at the same time. We either live after the flesh or after the Spirit. Paul said, "These are contrary the one to the other." That is plain enough. There can be no sharing of authority between these two forces. We must mortify the deeds of the body or accommodate them. Which will it be? It can't be both.

But let's return to our point about following the crowd. We have discovered that the majority is usually wrong, and that they do not want to be told about their sins. We have also considered how difficult it is to tell that crowd how wrong they are. Right here it seems appropriate to read the words of Jesus, "Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).

Hazards Of The "Highly Esteemed"

The last sentence contains a priceless principle for all of us today. Jesus spoke it to the Pharisees who were shamelessly justifying their unjust ways because they conformed to the acceptable codes of the day. He clearly indicated that the majority opinion would be on the wrong side of almost every question. He already had declared that most people would enter the broad road to destruction. Their views and practices would represent those who are wrong�those who will be lost. Yet it would be held by the largest number�in contrast to the "few" in the narrow road. The shocking thing is that those things "highly esteemed" among the majority of men are abominable in God's sight.

It is not hard to see the truth of this statement when we look at the principles upon which society operates today. Whether we are looking at dress, diet, entertainment, or educational standards, there is a vast difference between the world's ways and God's ideals. Sometimes we chafe, like the Israelites, because we cannot be like the nations around us, but God has given us a better, higher standard to live by.

Many have marveled at the almost ascetic doctrine of holiness by separation which is expounded throughout the Bible. Why did God forbid His ancient people to mingle and intermarry with the heathen nations? The New Testament writers also make repeated calls for spiritual Israel to "come out" and be separate from a system which they called "the world." Those called-out ones are identified as "the church," which is always set in opposition to "the world." The original word for church comes from two Greek words, ek meaning "out of" and kalleo meaning "called"�eklesia: the church, the called-out ones.

Why does God not approve a close relationship of His "few" followers with the "many there be" in the broad road? And why do the majority choose to be lost? How does Satan draw them in such masses to follow his program? The answers to those questions will also provide an explanation for the insistent call of prophets and gospel writers to separate from that majority.

Here is why so many have been captured by the evil one: his fraternization scheme is based upon a recognized law of the mind which decrees that we gradually adapt to the people we associate with. The unconscious effect of hearing and seeing their words and lifestyle is to slowly build toward an acceptance of what was once repugnant. The molding influence of such exposure breaks down the moral reserve, and eventually leads to a conciliatory attitude toward sin.

The whole scheme is deadly because the leavening process takes place so subtly. At no point is the collaborator aware that he is being imperceptibly manipulated by the people around him. No danger signals are raised. The conscience bends by degrees toward the new tolerant mindset. This is the way spiritual "status stones" have been altered. The slow shift from Bible principle to majority opinion is usually made with a minimum of spiritual conflict because of the gradual nature of the change.

Survey after survey has revealed how moral standards have been lowered under the deadening influence of environmental input. There is no way to be holy while mingling closely with the unholy. We cannot expose the mind constantly to abominations without suffering the consequences. The Spirit of God made no mistake in urging separation from the world of the flesh. Even prayer and Bible study cannot continue to protect against a presumptious choice to watch alluring sinful scenes and listen to corrupting words and sounds.

The Fallacy Of Following Feeling

Surely we can now better understand why the lesson of the shrimp is important for us to understand. It is never safe to follow the crowd. But now let's look at the second dangerous consequence of a faulty status stone. The shrimp trusted in feelings which were produced by powerful outside forces working on the status stone. Obviously these feelings were inaccurate and undependable because the stone in its head had been changed.

Mark it down well: it is no more safe to follow feeling than it is to follow the crowd. No matter how secure the shrimp felt about the tug of that magnet, it led him to act wrongly and make a fool of himself. Satan would be delighted to lead every one of us into doing the same thing. He has already done it to the majority by causing them to trust some other "stone of standing" than the Word of God. Using the powerful magnet of a glamorous, glittering society, Satan has created some very pleasurable but deceptive feelings. Millions have been lured into a state of false security in which they feel ridiculously overconfident and safe. It is almost as though they have been hypnotized and are obeying the will of some other mind than their own.

Does most of the world actually operate under a trance condition brought on by Satan's hypnotic powers? None can doubt the ability of mind scientists to produce such a state in almost anyone who will look at them or listen to them. There is always some point of contact used in putting a subject under hypnosis. Attention must be focused upon a light or some other object as well as the words which are being spoken. Without this deliberate attentiveness no one can be brought under the power of the hypnotist.

Does Satan have to get a similar attention to order to bring anyone under his control? He also uses a point of contact, usually an indulged weakness, an appeal of the flesh, or some other area of temptation. Our only safety is to never allow ourselves to watch or listen to his appealing attention devices.

When feelings becomes the criteria of testing truth, an unreasonably defensive attitude is generated. The most sincere people are convinced beyond all question that they are right and everyone else is totally wrong. In the secure comfort of their subjective feeling they resist all logic or reason based on objective truth outside themselves.

Can such feeling or moods be dangerous for a Christian? Indeed, Satan uses them to destroy the ability to act rationally. Suppose you are seated in a small room with no ventilation. An oil burning stove has been consuming the oxygen for some time. Gradually you become so drowsy that your brain is barely able to think. You do not feel like moving from your chair. Especially, you do not feel like getting up to open a window or a door. Yet your feeling against moving is a danger sign that you must make yourself act immediately to get more oxygen into the room or you will never move again.

Have you ever been in the mood not to pray, or not to read your Bible? Of course you have. So have I. Should we yield to that feeling? Listen, prayer is the breath of the soul just as oxygen is the breath of the body. Our mood not to pray and study is a signal that we had better make ourselves do it quickly because our spiritual life is being threatened. That is the time to force ourselves into the closet, onto our knees, and as we pray, the spiritual desires begin to return. Very soon prayer is restored as a joyful, fulfilling privilege. But unless we break the hypnotic spell of Satan's "feeling" trap by acting against his point of contact, we are placed in great spiritual jeopardy. The truth is that we must act or be acted upon.

Acting Or Reacting

This brings us to the fantastic realization that every single one of us is either living a life based upon acting or reacting. We make our own independent decisions about the kind of life we will live or else we simply react to the way other people treat us. In the latter case we turn the direction of our life over to someone else and allow them to determine the kind of person we shall be.

Please take note that we are still talking about Satan's manipulation of our feelings, but in this case he is working through some other person to exercise his control. It is likely that no one is beyond being influenced to some degree by the actions of others, but the vast majority are actually the pawns of whatever circumstances happen to develop around them. Instead of basing their most important decisions upon deliberative reason or prayer, they impulsively strike out in any or all directions, depending on the way their emotions have been stirred by others.

Dr. Hunter was an English heart surgeon who was himself afflicted with coronary disease. One day he commented to a colleague, "My life is in the hands of any rascal who chooses to annoy me." His self-prophecy proved to be true. Later on someone dealt with him in a manner that made him furious, and he dropped dead of a heart attack. What an illustration that education and high intelligence cannot protect us from the folly of our fallen human nature! All his honorable degrees of learning did not give Dr. Hunter control of his own spirit. He literally allowed another individual to make the decision as to whether he would live or die.

But the doctor's mistake is miniscule compared to that of those who let others actually determine their eternal destiny. All around us every day we observe the dreadful playing out of an unnecessary drama and often church members are involved in it. People permit their volatile emotions to surge out of control in retaliation for the way they are treated, and some of the darkest sins are recorded against them in the books of heaven. Many will lose their souls because they refuse to assume the responsibility for their own course of action. In fact, they don't act at all; they merely react. We can say without reservation that those who do not lay hold of divine power to live a disciplined, controlled life will be ruled by Satan, either directly or indirectly. Not one person has that kind of strength within himself. The ability to control one's own life by resisting every provocation of both friends and enemies must come from God's grace within.

The real secret of protection from reacting is found in Paul's counsel to the Philippians, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). No one can strike back if he is thinking thoughts of Jesus. On the cross Christ gave no sign of vengeance, irritation or retaliation. His prayer was, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Is that state of mind accessible to men in the flesh? Indeed Jesus possessed the same fallen human nature that all children inherit from their parents. Yet He never reacted to a single needling rebuff or insult. The kind of serenity that He exhibited is promised to every believing child of God who will claim it in faith. Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 10:5, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Let no one believe that this kind of integration with the thoughts and mind of Christ can come without both struggle and surrender. The character is conformed to the divine pattern by two things operating in conjunction with the Holy Spirit�man's will and man's actions. God will never do these two things for us. Each person must make the decision to turn from sin, and then he must begin to act against the sin. Neither of these steps would be effective were they not accompanied by the enabling power of the Spirit. No man has the power to stop reacting in anger to the way he is treated, but he does have the power to choose to stop reacting. He also has the ability to start resisting the impulse to react. Do those two steps bring the victory? Indeed, when taken after claiming the promised deliverance, they provide dramatic evidence of true faith. And faith, in turn, moves the omnipotent arm of God to intervene with shattering force against the practice of any sin.

Dealing With Offenses

Along with faith it is also very important to develop a philosophy of understanding toward those who may seem to be giving offense. Much of the problem stems from an unwillingness or inability to consider why that person is acting in such a manner.

It is a demonstrated fact that our own attitude toward the offender determines to a large degree how we react to what he does against us. Unfortunately there is very little inclination to be thoughtful and reasonable when one is under physical or verbal attack. Impulsive anger takes control and we strike out blindly in self-protection. Were we capable of keeping on top of those oversensitive feelings it would give us time to ask and answer a few questions about the other person's motives. Even a few moments of rational thought could suggest the possibility that the offender might be operating under false information, and be very sincere in what he is doing. This could certainly ameliorate our own reactions toward him.

Years ago I heard a story which has been such an inspiration to me that I have shared it often throughout my ministry. Many times I have needed to tell myself the story again to help ease through some especially difficult time of personal stress. It concerns an old Greek philosopher by the name of Philip who was walking along the street with a friend one day. It so happened that an enemy of Philip was watching him approach from an overhead window. As the two passed by he threw a bucket of water onto the wise old man. Without the slightest reaction to the outrage, Philip continued his conversation as though nothing at all had happened. His friend stopped and offered to help him find and punish the man who had treated him so rudely. Philip quietly replied that no one had done him any wrong. The friend remonstrated in amazement, "But the man threw water all over you. You are soaking wet." "No," replied the philosopher, "you are mistaken. He did not throw any water on me. He threw it on the man he thought I was."

What an attitude! And what a world of difference it would make if everyone had such a spirit of selfless regard for the feelings of others. Most of the personal alienations, racial problems and international disputes could be settled in a moment if everyone practiced the philosophy of Philip.

Sometime ago I was preparing a young mother for baptism. As I visited her for a final review of the doctrines of the church, she suddenly burst into tears. "I can't be baptized," she cried. "Last night my mother visited me and reminded me that since I hate my brother it would not be right to enter into baptism." Under my gently prodding, Carol agreed to share for the very first time why she had hated this only brother for all those years. Not even her mother knew the reasons behind that bitter spirit. When she was seven years old her teenage brother began to force her sexually and threaten her if she ever told anyone. For eight years she suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of that cruel brother.

I could truly understand Carol's festering anger and hatred toward her brother. I was overwhelmed by her justified sense of being dehumanized and demeaned. How could I say anything that could possible change her feelings over those deep psychological pains and scars? Then I remembered the story of the old Greek philosopher. After sharing it with her, I asked for more information about that despised brother. Was he ever a Christian? "No," said Carol, "he was the opposite of a Christian. He seemed always to be under the control of devils, and he's still the same way."

I said, "Carol, isn't it a tragedy that your brother never knew the power of God's grace in his life? He was indeed controlled by Satan in all he was doing. Without God in his life there was no chance for him to resist the things Satan was doing through him. He was manipulated and used by the devil. If only he had known the Lord Jesus, he would never have been that way. He would have treated you with love and respect. Now you tell me that he is still not a Christian. He is still being forced to do evil things and has no power to resist. What a difference it would make if he could learn about Jesus and accept Him. He would have the same joy you have found in Christ. We need to pray for him, Carol, that somehow he can get out from under this evil power that has been using him."

As I talked the tears began to flow again, but this time they were tears of sorrow and compassion for a lost brother who was more to be pitied and prayed for than to be hated. Carol ended up on her knees that day asking God to save her brother from his miserable captivity to Satan's power. Her own personal hatred was washed away in those tears and the next day I had the joy of seeing the old Carol buried in the watery grave. Her life was transformed when she began to realize that her brother did not even know her�not really. If he had been sensitive to her as a person, he would not have treated her that way. His understanding was distorted by sin.

Can we believe the same thing about people who mistreat us along the road of life? Would they act the same way if they fully understood what they were doing? Can't we assume that they don't really have the full information about us, about our feelings, and who we really are? If only we could give them the benefit of that doubt and say, "They didn't do it to the real me. They did it to the person they thought I was." Then we can feel sorry for them, because they don't know any better. And best of all we can even begin to pray for them.

So we are brought back again to the two great lessons taught by the shrimp who have rocks in their heads. We cannot measure what is right and wrong by our subjective feelings or by what the majority are doing. Our stone of standing must be the Word of God. Regardless of the crowd; regardless of our moods or feelings; regardless of the way people treat us, we must choose to order our lives on the basis of divine principle. Like Paul we say, "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life I now live, I live by the faith of him who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

Source: http://www.amazingfacts.org/items/Read_Media.asp?ID=659