We know that Elisha was directed to raise up a child of an elderly couple. The mother personally went to get Elisha to raise up her son. Elisha was directed by God previously to promise this woman a son and now he was dead. However, Elisha raised up that son again. Yes, there were women that were blessed in that way.
There are false prophets today who are looking to raise the dead, but they have not been able to do that yet. The devil will have that power and lost people will be deceived by his power. There are many people today who look to the Charismatic “faith healers” to raise the dead, but they have not seen it yet. God is in charge and those who are saved are not looking for these types of things today. We are looking to walk by faith in God. We are looking to glorify Him today just as Elisha did in his day. We are not given the power to raise the dead today. We do not need that power.
Those who are saved are looking for the Lord’s return. We know we are pilgrims and strangers on this earth. We are not looking to commit suicide. We have every reason to live, but we also look forward to the day we will be in Heaven with Jesus. The lost are afraid to die. They are not ready to die. God is working in their conscience and showing them that they are not ready to meet the Lord. For them it will be a dreaded time.
Jesus raised the dead a few times, but He did it to prove that He was the Messiah. He has come and we have the written Word of God. We do not need to prove we are authentic by these sign gifts. We need to handle God’s Word with humility and accuracy. That is what people need to see and hear.
There were people in Bible times that were tortured. There have been others since that time as well. However, this text is speaking of those who were tortured in Bible times. They would not deny their true faith in God. They were threatened with death and with painful torture prior to death, but they knew where they were going. They had that true faith that would keep them even in a violent death. They wanted that first resurrection. They had received the gift of eternal life and they knew that part of that was the promise of the “first resurrection”. That is the resurrection that all saints look forward to. Those who appear at the “second resurrection” are the lost. They will all appear at the great white throne judgment. That will not be a good day for them. That will usher them into an eternity in the lake of fire.
There were others who faced trials such as Jesus and Paul and John and Peter. There were those who were beaten for standing firm on the truth. Others did not lie just to avoid prison. They remained faithful and true. I am told that some of the prisons in Canada are quite harsh. Some of those who protested the lockdowns were put into those prisons. The officials tried to break them. Hardened criminals were treated better than those people. The government is afraid of anyone who would dare to expose their corruption. They want to rule with an iron fist and often do. However, they are still limited to a degree by God.
In verse 37 we read of those who were stoned to death. That must be painful as well. Then there were others who were sawn asunder. That too would not be pleasant. Yet these and others did not deny their faith. That is the difference between true faith and the fraudulent faith so many have today. We are facing very little persecution, but most professing Christians have gladly given in to the world just to keep from being ridiculed. They use deception to try to pretend they are Christians, but their actions and words speak a different language.
There were people who lived in poverty but they remained faithful to God. The governments have already proved they have the power to freeze bank accounts. If the governments implement their “great reset” plans, most people will be living on some form of government payout. It will be a similar system to that of China. They “reward” those who obey them and they punish those who defy them. It is much easier to control people when they are hungry and hurting. The devil is a murderer from the beginning and thus his plan is to see humanity suffer. His followers take pleasure in that as well. That is very obvious from our current government.
In verse 38 we read that these true saints acknowledged that the world was not worthy of them. They proved that by their actions. The world’s system could not break them. They had their eyes trained on the promise of God. The world did not want to hear the truth, but the saints chose to remain faithful to God. They knew they had a home in heaven and they were going to honour Him. They suffered for a time on this earth, but they had God’s peace during their sufferings and they were welcomed into heaven at death.
In verse 39 we see again that even though all these people mentioned above had God’s blessing on their lives, yet they suffered. They did not see heaven on earth. They only realized the fulness of the promise after they died. God has a time for everything. There was an exact time when Jesus came in His first coming. There was an exact time when He went to the cross, shed His blood and died. There was an exact time when He rose again, victorious over sin and death. There was an exact time when He ascended back to Heaven. There is also an exact time when the New Testament saints will be removed from this earth. There will also be an exact time when He will come back and stand upon the Mount of Olives and the mount will split in two and the battle of Armageddon will be fought and won by Jesus Christ. That will usher in the Millennium, at the exact time that God has decreed.
Those who came before us have not missed out on anything. They have also not been granted that final reward without us, those who are saved.
There will be a great gathering in Heaven one day soon. No one who is saved will be cheated. Jesus used the illustration of the Lord who hired men to work in His vineyard. He paid them all the same. Those who had worked longer thought they should receive more, but they did not. In fact their greed hurt them. The rewards are for faithfulness, not the length of time a person is saved.
Today is the Lord’s Day. It is another opportunity to attend a good church that will teach you the truth. Don’t settle for a ‘politically correct’ religion. Settle for the truth. You need to be in church. God knows that and He has made sure that you will be able to attend a good church today. Don’t dismiss His blessing that He wants to bestow on you today.
Pastor Bartel