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378
Humble Hero
many.” Many false messiahs will appear, declaring that the time
of deliverance for the Jewish nation has come. These will mislead
many. Christ’s words were fulfilled. Between His death and the siege
of Jerusalem many false messiahs appeared. The same deceptions
will arise again.
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“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are
not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end [
of
the Jewish nation as a nation
] is not yet. For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines,
pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the
beginning of sorrows.” The rabbis will declare that these signs are
announcing the advent of the Messiah. Don’t be deceived. The signs
that they say are indicators of their release from oppression are signs
of their destruction.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and
you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many
will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.”
All this the Christians experienced. Fathers and mothers betrayed
their children, children their parents. Friends betrayed friends to
the Sanhedrin. The persecutors killed Stephen, James, and other
Christians.
Through His servants, God gave the Jewish people a last opportu-
nity to repent. He revealed Himself in their arrest and trial, yet their
judges pronounced the death sentence on them. By killing them,
the Jews crucified the Son of God anew. It will be this way again.
The authorities will make laws to restrict religious liberty. They
will think they can force the conscience, which God alone should
control. They will continue this work until they reach a boundary
over which they cannot step. God will intervene in behalf of His
loyal, commandmentkeeping people.
When persecution comes, many stumble and fall, renouncing the
faith they once advocated. Those who leave their faith in difficult
times will bear false witness and betray their brethren in order to
secure their own safety. Christ has warned us of this so that we will
not be surprised at the unnatural, cruel behavior of those who reject
the light.
Christ told His disciples how to escape the ruin that was coming
on Jerusalem: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then