"Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the Commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." Revelation 14:12

The Bible prophesies that in the end time the Beast will make war with the saints and seek to wear down their patience. Our text today is contrasting the difference between those who receive the mark of the Beast and the saints who do not. Those who take the mark will be cast into hell and tormented in the presence of the holy angels. Here we see that the saints of God will persevere in keeping the Commandments of God and will hold onto their faith in Jesus.

Perseverance means constant enduring. Because the Beast is called the "man of lawlessness" he will attack and persecute those who keep God’s Commandments. By joining this passage with a Scripture in Chapter 12 we see that the identifying characteristic of an end time saint is that he keeps the Commandments and holds the testimony of Jesus. Obviously, those who deny Christ by failing to obey Him, will also choose to join themselves with the man of lawlessness and make themselves enemies of Christ and the Church.

Since the very beginning, the faithful have always been persecuted by the lawless wicked. Cain killed his brother Abel because Abel obeyed God and Cain did not. John wrote that Abel’s deeds were righteous and Cain’s deeds were wicked -"Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous." (1 John 3)

During Noah’s time he was the only righteous man on the earth. Noah preached repentance for 120 years and had to persevere ill treatment - no one received his appeal to repent and turn to God. And all the Prophets of God were persecuted and killed because of who they were and because of the message they preached.

We see the same battle between the forces of light and darkness in the New Testament. The Apostle said that regardless of what we endure we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul suffered more than any other Apostle yet said, -"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Let us receive that inspired message and prepare for the climatic time of the end. We are fast approaching a time like no other in human history. God planned our birth for a time such as this. He has given us divinely powerful weapons. Let us not lose heart nor neglect to keep God’s Commandments and hold our faith in Jesus for salvation, for that is the perseverance of the saints.