Having established the FAITH/WORD/WORK connection, let us see how God values the foundation upon which all Biblical faith and work rest–His Word/Truth (Jn. 17:17). The goal, the focus, the ultimate outcome of the saints “walk” (life work) is to OVERCOME Satan–to WORK/OBEY God’s Word, thereby robbing the devil of a place in the saint’s life. “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, (just) as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:21,22). Notice that Jesus did not guarantee church people a place on His throne (salvation); only those who overcome (Satan) as He overcame him will reign and rule with Him in the Kingdom of God. Earlier Jesus said “… he who OVERCOMES and KEEPS (emulates) MY WORKS UNTIL THE END, to him I will give power over the nations”–only the overcoming word-worker will rule and reign with Him (Rev. 2:26).

The honest seeker of that rulership (salvation) will ask himself: “Why were the prophets of God and His apostles, along with millions of other saints, martyred? And by whom? God began to form the answer in Amos 7 where we find Amaziah the priest of Bethel telling Jeroboam, the king of Israel, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land (people) is not able to bear all his words.” Amos had been warning Israel that death, defeat, destruction and deportation were coming upon the nation because of her sins. Amaziah warned Amos never to prophesy against Israel again. Then the Lord warned Israel of what He was going to do, comparing Israel to a basket of rotted fruit. He specifically brought out her rejection of His Sabbath. One of the curses He would place on Israel would be a scarcity of His Word: “Behold, the days are coming when I will send a famine on the land … a famine of hearing the Words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east. They shall run to and fro seeking the Word from the Lord, BUT SHALL NOT FIND IT.”

Today there are a few true servants of God who are telling modern Israel (self-professed Christian nations) His Truth. But alas, these watchmen on the wall are experiencing the same reception as did the prophets of old–rejection of both themselves and their message. Jeremiah told God that he was wasting his time telling the people the truth. God told him to speak it anyway. He went on to say that He had two basic counts against His chosen people. They had forsaken Him (2:13) and no longer feared Him (2:19). Their sin? “They have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters (Word), and hewn themselves cisterns … that can hold no water.” Ancient Israel–His Church in the Wilderness (Acts 7:38)–had rejected His Words/Truth and had created her own version of truth. Modern Israel has carried on her ancestor’s tradition–she rejects God’s Word and embraces the words of false prophets whom she trains, pays and orders: “Do not prophesy to us right (Godly) things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out of the way (of God); turn aside from the (God’s) path. Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us”–stop holding Him up to us (Isa. 30:10,11). God accused them of despising His Word (vs 12). One day Word-despisers will run to and fro for someone to tell them God’s Word. They will search in vain because of their rejection of it when it was available.

God addresses this evil attitude toward His Word in Second Thessalonians 2:9-12. Here He is speaking to “… those (in the church) who will perish because they do not receive the love of the Truth (so) that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them STRONG DELUSION (so) that they will believe the lie, (s0) that they may all be CONDEMNED.” Who were condemned by God? Those church people “… who do not believe the Truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness (man’s religious doctrines).” God compares the one who knows His Truth and rejects it to a dog that returns to his vomit and a sow that returns to her mire (2 Pet. 2:21,22). Note that it is God Who deludes and condemns the Word-rejecter. And it is God who compares such a one to a sick dog and a filthy sow. God’s true saints are commanded to MARK THOSE WHO WALK CONTRARY TO GOD’S WORD AND TO AVOID THEM BECAUSE THEY DO NOT SERVE GOD (Rom. 16:17,18). Because they do not abide in the doctrine of Christ, THEY HAVE NEITHER CHRIST NOR GOD (2 Jn. 9). No amount of church-going, Bible-toting, Scripture-quoting, cross-wearing, fish-showing, church-planting, soul-winning or smiling will substitute for OBEYING GOD’S WORD. L.J.