In this daily Bible reading Paul tells Timothy to suffer hardship with Paul, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Paul compares the work of a Christian to being a soldier of Jesus Christ. A soldier obeys his commander so as to please his commander. Additionally, a soldier is diligent to obey his commander, even when it involves discomfort or hardship. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must also suffer hardship from time to time.
As Christians, we are walking contrary to the world and its beliefs. Proclaiming God’s Truths will make others uncomfortable. In fact, it might be classified or labeled by the world as ‘hate speech.’ I believe that one day it will be illegal to quote scripture passages from the Bible. I also believe that in the very near future it will be illegal to be a true Christian.
The Bible says that a time is coming that the Bible calls the ‘Great Tribulation.’ During this time there will be a world leader that the Bible calls ‘the beast.’ This person will have at his side a man the Bible calls the false prophet. This world leader will demand to be worshiped by all. Those who worship the true God and follow Jesus Christ will be executed. It will be a time of great suffering. True believers will be tested. They will be offered the choice of worshiping ‘the beast’ and living or worshiping God and being executed. It will be the ultimate test of Faith. True believers must be prepared. They must not worship ‘the beast’ if they want to go to Heaven. They must, as the Bible says, “endure to the end to be saved.”
