Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth, I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother-in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that takes not his cross and follows after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that finds his life shall lose it and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.
When we speak of crunch time, we are referring to Daniel chapter 12, verses 1 to 3, where we are told that there would be a time of greatest trouble upon our planet such as never was since the dawn of time and we are speaking about Revelation chapters 12 to 14 that would materialize Daniel chapter 12.
And because it would be a time like no other, those who believe and practice present truth will have to stand up, and be counted on The Lord’s side. Your decision to follow Christ will have to be ratified and, reconfirmed individually with Jesus for the decisions had been made initially when there wasn’t end-time prophecy looming large, in real time.
But now we are living on the brink of eternity, when the forces of good and evil are scheduled to duke it out until the very last individual has made up his or her mind, either for or against Christ. And therefore, the decisions folks made at a time of tranquility and peace may not necessarily withstand the test of the final conflict.
There comes a time in our experience after coming to know Christ after understanding the ways, means and methods of His kingdom, that we must confirm the choices to serve love and obey Him, after we’ve come to a fuller knowledge of what is entailed.
Initially, at the time of baptism, some persons might not have taken the time to thoroughly count the cost of true discipleship, while others may not have fully understood that following Christ would call for sacrifice and an entire surrender of our lives to Him.
Therefore, according to our first passages, when the understanding dawns in our minds, it will inevitably put us at odds with some of the friends, and family that we love, who might not understand, nor agree with what God requires of us.
It is not every time that acquaintances will be in lock step with our unique beliefs and perspectives. And, without the shadow of a doubt, when crunch time comes around, many individuals would get deeply offended at the course of action we may take, in the face of the lamblike beast speaking as a dragon.
And we are not to expect to a have rational, logical answer for every single thing God requires for when crunch time comes around, the decision not to buy or sell, will certainly be challenged by friends, and foes, especially if children are involved.
We do not know for certain if The Lord might see fit to put every one of them to sleep just before the big one hits because of two statements that are written, one in the Bible, and the other coming from the pen of inspiration. Let’s read:
Matthew 24: 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
[2SM pp 259] The Lord has often instructed me that many little ones are to be laid away before the time of trouble. We shall see our children again. We shall meet them and know them in the heavenly courts. Put your trust in the Lord, and be not afraid.
If some might be alive during crunch time, then we are looking at the grim prospect of the department of children and families getting involved, in order to try to coerce the unwilling to at least buy some food for their kids.
God has indeed promised bread, and water during that time, but no specific time frame is given yet as to when the miraculous food will begin. Thus, to the strictly logical thinking mind, it will be a no brainer, just to bow, in order to get your groceries.
And many friends and families would be at a loss to understand what is the problem with just taking the mark of allegiance, so that you could continue your normal daily living, so as to provide for your kids, at the very least.
Taking such a firm stand, in favor of God’s revealed will, would bring us out of the shadows, where, in some cases, we lived in our comfort zones without having to deal with confrontations in the family, on the job, or in the communities where we live.
The days of wine and roses are going to come to an end, and the servants of God would have to state very plainly, in the public square, exactly where we stand on the various issues which will pertain to the final conflict of the ages.
For many years we have been living the comfortable life as Christians, and even though other persons do not see eye to eye with our peculiar faith, we have been more or less tolerated. And because of this, a sort of lukewarm condition might have obtained in some instances, where we just go with the flow.
The time is coming soon when our peculiar form of Christianity will not be looked upon so favorably, or tolerated anymore, and we would increasingly find ourselves at odds with mainstream philosophies, or doctrines, concepts, and practices that are currently embraced in contemporary Christian circles.
In the not-too distant future we will find ourselves in some awkward positions where we will have to take a definite stand for the truths of God’s word, against pushback, and terrible remonstrances from close associates.
All of that is included when Jesus says that a man’s foes will be those of his own household. That easy going form of Christianity, where persons are not brought into straitened places, where you could hide your light under a bushel without taking up the cross of Christ in public, will come to an end.
We would have to let our employers and customers know that we will not be working over the sacred hours of the Sabbath. And even if persons have to take a material loss by doing so, the true Christian will have to be prepared to follow Jesus all the way, whatever the cost. Let’s read:
[RH January 1 1889, par 4] Prophecy represents Protestantism as having lamb-like horns, but speaking like a dragon. Already we are beginning to hear the voice of the dragon. There is the prospect before us, of waging a continuous war, at the risk of imprisonment, of losing property and even life itself, to defend the law of God, which is being made void by the laws of men.
In other words, there are some of us who would get into trouble for preaching and teaching the straight, unadulterated truths of God’s word. And therefore, if the husband and wife are not on the same page, it will cause friction to erupt between the two of them as they read from completely different scripts.
The father in the home must take time to converse with his wife and family about the prophecies that are scheduled for the final conflict, so that they will not build their hopes upon fanciful perspectives of instantaneous deliverance from God, at every first sign of trouble.
Especially should Scriptural instructions be adopted, since the spirit of intolerance, vindictiveness, and anarchy are currently gaining the ascendency. Peter was eager to follow Jesus when mighty works were being done by Christ, and there was a desire in all of the disciples to be first in the kingdom, when things were going smoothly.
But when crunch time came around, and they saw the cost of Christianity taking a toll on Christ, as He was headed to Calvary, no one wanted to be first in the kingdom anymore, and they found themselves having to regroup, to consider carefully, whether or not they would stay the course with Jesus.
The reason for this is that being first in the kingdom meant that you were on the menu, and rather than suffer insult and injury for Christ’s sake they found themselves huddling together in the upper room, as they awaited their own fate, or so they thought.
Thus, they could not adequately explain to folk who were not disciples, why following Christ, at the cost of life itself made sense. Similarly, when our crunch time comes around, we may not be able to explain why we will prefer to starve, if it came to that rather than accept the mark of the beast.
It makes no sense to the secular mind and Christians who are living at that time, might not always be able to fully explain to others why this is the best and the only route to take. Strict logic often turns out to be the diabolical enemy of faith, and therefore, the you and me would have to confirm our initial decisions to follow Christ.
In the book of Daniel, we have examples of what we are speaking of, in the experiences of the 3 Hebrew worthies, who found themselves in some awkward situations even among their own fellow countrymen for there were many others, from their hometown who decided to bow under pressure.
The first test came with food, as is so often the case, for as was stated before, it began with food in Eden, and it will end with food during the coming crunch time. Nebuchadnezzar thought he was doing them a great favor by offering them the very best food from his own personal table.
Monarchs back then and monarchs in our day don’t usually eat what you and I do. They typically go for the specialties, and delicacies that only the wealthy can afford, and thus, eating from the king’s personal table, should have been considered a high privilege, as far as the strictly logical thinking mind goes.
But lo and behold, Daniel and his companions beg to differ, and with the prospect of a free education and paid tuition at the best Ivy league university in Babylon, many persons, friends and family, might’ve encouraged them to just eat the food, and shut up, especially with free tuition and boarding, and with promotions on the line.
Some would certainly argue, what’s the big deal, if you have to suck it up for a while, but not Daniel or his friends, for if it meant losing the best education in Babylon, and even if it meant that their lives will be endangered, they would not be eating the king’s food. To many persons, a decision like that will seem to be plain stupid, and foolish.
Others may reason that the ends justify the means, a statement that comes to us from the very depths of hell. With the Christian, the ends do not always justify the means, if the means include violating the laws of God.
In fact, what the prince of darkness often does is to present a good end, and then offer unlawful means to achieve that good end. Thus, you will see him in the wilderness with Christ, as he tempts Jesus to eat bread, the wrong way. Nothing is wrong with eating bread, but if you have to bow to eat, then the ends cannot justify the means.
Thus, Jesus showed us the godly route to take if and when our turn comes around. To be found faithful, we will have to make a decision, not to violate God’s law or our consciences under any circumstances, no matter how attractive and necessary, the good ends may seem to be.
As Jesus weighed the grim choices before Him, and the ways and means being suggested by the prince of darkness, He did what you and I should do in any similar situation. He chooses to die, if it came down to the wire, but under no circumstances would He allow the philosophy of “The end justify the means” to inform or guide His decision making. Let’s read:
Matthew 4: 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
11 Then the devil left him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
[Redemption BK 2 pp 39] Satan suggested to Christ that God would not leave his Son in this condition of want and suffering.
Many Christians in the remnant community believe that the promises of God to us during crunch time will be fulfilled instantaneously, and if they are not delivered on a dime the faith of many will be shaken to its core. To put it bluntly, crunch time will not be a breeze by any means, and therefore we should be managing our expectations prudently.
This is the crisis that Daniel and his 3 companions were facing, and those Hebrew worthies might not be able to explain to others why their decision is the best route to go. Should they bow down by eating what is forbidden?
Or should they stand their ground and face possible starvation or death, if Nebuchadnezzar gets ticked off as he is so often prone to do? How would such a decision on the part of the Hebrews be viewed by a logical thinking mind?
In fact, when speaking to the chief cook, Daniel said that he will not “Defile” himself with the king’s food. Now brethren, consider carefully the word defile in the context.
If Daniel is speaking of Nebuchadnezzar’s food as being defiled, then he is implying that the cook is serving inferior food, and with Nebuchadnezzar’s penchant for retribution, no one in their right mind would want to refer to his personal food as defiled. Let’s read:
Daniel 1:5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so, nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore, he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
The word defile in the context means several things. It means that, as far as Daniel knew, the king’s food would include foods which are strictly forbidden in the book of Leviticus, foods, such as shrimp, oysters and pork, which forms a staple in many diets.
It would also include some Bud lights, and Johnny Walker black to wash down the food, for this is how the kings back then ate and drank. The word defile also meant that the foods were offered to idols first before being served, and this would be a definite no in Daniel’s mind, since it is forbidden in the Bible. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 10: 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
Exodus 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Psalms 106:28 They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead.
Isaiah 66:17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.
There are certain countries in the world where fried mouse is considered a delicacy. This is not hear say, for we watched in dismay, with our own two eyes as several rats were roasted on an open fire, and then devoured by the people, as a protein meal.
In other parts of the world, rats, and persons drink from the same trough, and to the members of that community, this is nothing unusual or out of the ordinary. So yes, Daniel decided that he would not defile himself with the king’s food even if it cost him his education, at the best Ivy league schools in the province of Babylon.
Crunch time in the future, when the mark of the beast will be upon the face of the earth, will include not only the main issue of Sabbath versus Sunday, but also the issue of being able to access your daily bread at a cost.
The seventh day Sabbath versus Sunday issue would eventually come down to food, and to the economic freedoms we now enjoy, for the mark of the beast will tie it all up into one bundle, so that persons who will not bow will not eat from man’s storehouses.
[The Great Controversy pp 621] The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay and hunger, a faith that will not faint, though severely tried.
This leads us to the second major challenge faced by the faithful Hebrews, who, together with others of their own countrymen, were commanded to bow to the graven image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. When mortal men begin to think of themselves as God, the next thing they will require of those under their jurisdiction is worship.
That’s because worship demonstrates to whom your allegiance is given since worship consists of majority obedience, and minority praise. The king of Babylon wanted to make certain that every individual in his administration was on board with his agenda of an eternal Babylonian kingdom.
And the only way to secure their allegiance was to have them bow down to the symbol of his heaven daring defiance. He employed the carrot and stick method, by which he first commands them to bow down, but if the carrot did not work, the stick was to be employed in the heat of the furnace.
This issue was put to the test during crunch time for the Hebrews, as Nebuchadnezzar endeavored to twist their arms. Under threat, they’re commanded to bow, and if they did not, there would be severest consequences, in so much that they could become martyrs.
Should the Hebrews just do a little bow wow, and be done with it, so as to remain in the king’s good favor or should they stand their ground upon the truths of God’s word? Would the three Hebrews buckle this time in the face of death?
Would they attempt to save themselves by using the maxim: The end justifies the means, since the end is to save life? And if they were to stand their ground, would their relatives or family be in agreement with their choice to be burnt alive, rather than do a little bow wow?
This is the reason why it is said that crunch time is a time like no other, and will require a radical form of faith that many Christians are currently not familiar with. Being faithful unto death does not occur by an accident, but is the result of a rooted and grounded relationship with The God of heaven.
The faith of Jesus which you read of in Revelation chapter 14, is a radical type of faith, that is willing to sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of the truth, and trusting God alone to mitigate the results if He so chooses. Thus, it was with this mindset that the three Hebrews would now approach the crisis of their lives.
Their experiences are actually a microcosm of what would take place in the near future, as man-worship gains the ascendency in our day. Just as the various branches of Nebuchadnezzar’s government united to coerce a false form of worship, just so will those who seek world dominion, use everything at their disposal, to force persons to bow. Let’s read:
Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
4 Then a herald cried aloud, to you it is commanded O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.
6 And whoso falls not down and worships shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spoke and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
They were not willing to sacrifice principle for some temporary gain and if it came down to the wire they were willing to die, rather than betray sacred trusts. There’s no doubt we in our day could use some men like that, men who have spine, who would not allow circumstances to dictate what they decide as being right or wrong.
Too often we see persons buckle under pressure as they succumb to a barrage of threats from kings and dear leaders. The ghost of Nebuchadnezzar is flitting all around us nowadays, and according to Scripture, it will just be a matter of time, before his ways and means are adopted by mortals who seek worship.
In our day, a lot of pressure is being brought to bear against persons who refuse to bow down. And we’re facing an epidemic of bowers, who would do just about anything in violation of conscience, so as to survive. Persons are sacrificing principles, left, right and center, while others are turning a blind eye to evils that baffle even satan.
Just for clarity, bowing down does not mean bowing down in the most literal sense. It means bowing, by doing things against your conscience, things that are contrary to God’s clearly revealed will, because your arm has been twisted.
So, the question for us crunch timers is: what will it take to make you bow down in order to access your economic privileges? Will you reason that the ends justify the means, if the end goal is to save your life. Or will we stand like the brave, with our face to the foe, by not bowing.
How much arm twisting can you endure, and do you have a threshold point after which you would break and buckle under the heavy load? We’re speaking of the crunch time like no other in the history of earth, when a radical form of godliness will be required of those who will survive the perils of the last days.
Folks are losing their seats in the house, and senate at an alarming rate, and others now find themselves having to regroup, if they want to survive. But the question is: Does the end justify the means? And if the heat of the furnace is turned up several notches, will persons break and buckle under pressure?
Crunch time, no doubt is going to produce one of two reactions in persons. It will either reveal sterling character that has been built upon the Rock Christ Jesus, or it would be made manifest that some folks are creatures of circumstance. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp 604] Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought. The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that all, “both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,” [Revelation 13:16.] shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath.
All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death. On the other hand, the law of God enjoining the Creator’s rest-day demands obedience, and threatens wrath against all who transgress its precepts.
With the issue thus clearly brought before him, whoever shall trample upon God’s law to obey a human enactment, receives the mark of the beast; he accepts the sign of allegiance to the power which he chooses to obey instead of God.
It is in a crisis that true character is revealed, and that is why The Lord is sending us this wake-up call, to alert us to the urgency of the moment. Now is the time for us to live in readiness because all of the prophecies pertaining to crunch time are now being fulfilled, or will be fulfilled in the very near future.
And to those who might be still sitting on the fence, The Lord would have us understand that the fence is not a safe place to be, because crunch time is not a spectator sport. Every person living on the planet at that time will be involved.
Thus, God encourages everyone listening to make your calling and election sure by first choosing Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, and then applying that decision in practical ways by allowing The Holy Spirit to interface truth in our everyday experience.
It is a work that cannot be put off for another day, except at grave peril to our souls, and thus, we will end the study with a passage of Scripture that calls us to the urgency of the moment, as we beseech you in Christ’s stead, to be reconciled to God. Let’s read:
Romans 13: 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
God Bless!