Torment Them That Dwell Upon The Earth

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Hi R____,

It is good to hear from you again. I pray that God will be merciful to you and give you relief from your health problems.
You ask about how ‘tormenting them that dwell upon the earth’ applies to you. This is an easy letter to answer, and it won’t take me long. Everyone wants to know ‘What am I to do now that I understand that I must come out of Babylon?’
The first thing we do is “die daily.”

1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

If we are willing to do this, without recognition, without being “preeminent among the brethren, then you are doing more for God than someone who is teaching the things of God’s Word, but is not yet obeying the words of God.

3Jn 1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

John’s writings were rejected by Diotrephes, because John taught the doctrine of dying to self, while Diotrephes was still ‘feeding the beast’ by lusting after recognition among the brothers.
We will never be exalted in the kingdom of God until any desire for personal recognition is burned out of us. That is what Christ meant when He said:

Luk 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Who are ‘all men?’ They are ‘the world,’ but more specifically, they are the church in the world: “for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
But what was the fate of those prophets who were faithful to the Word of God under the old Testament?

Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

And what is it that is required of you before you can qualify to be “hated of all men?” All that is required is that you remain faithful to God’s Word. When asked, if you are faithful to God’s Word and you always say “thus saith the Lord…” then you will be hated of all men. Your very presence will make your friends feel uncomfortable in many situations. They will know that you live your beliefs, and they will hate you for your standards. Your very uncompromising presence will “torment them that dwell upon the earth.” And when they ask you what you believe and you answer according to what God has given you the eyes to see and the ears to hear, you will ‘torment them that dwell upon the earth.’ That is how those words apply to you.

I hope this has helped your understanding.

Mike

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