Opposition to Faithful Warnings
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the work would be done. “When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and
said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found
so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall
come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and
Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the
kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way;
and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was
healed in the selfsame hour.”
Here Jesus exalted faith in contrast with doubt. He showed that
the children of Israel would stumble because of their unbelief, which
would lead to the rejection of great light and would result in their
condemnation and overthrow. Thomas declared that he would not
believe unless he put his finger into the prints of the nails and thrust
his hand into the side of his Lord. Christ gave him the evidence he
desired and then reproved his unbelief: “Because thou hast seen Me,
thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have
believed.”
In this age of darkness and error, men who profess to be followers
of Christ seem to think that they are at liberty to receive or reject the
servants of the Lord at pleasure and that they will not be called to
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an account for so doing. Unbelief and darkness lead them to this.
Their sensibilities are blunted by their unbelief. They violate their
consciences and become untrue to their own convictions and weaken
themselves in moral power. They view others in the same light with
themselves.
When Christ sent out the twelve, He commanded them: “And into
whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and
there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute
it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it
be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not
receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house
or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall
be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of
judgment, than for that city.” They were warned to beware of men,
for they should be delivered up to the councils and scourged in the
synagogues.