Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Not fear or favor, popular sentiment or dissent, not the gravitational pull of the masses, not seducers who may use philosophy, not persuasion, economic threats, or intimidation, not ostracization, not the forsaking of family, friends and brethren, and not even persuasion by former pastors or clergy must ever be allowed to shake our convictions of truth.
To put it plainly, persons must be prepared, if needs be to die for what we believe, for if we cannot stand for something we will fall for anything. Saying no to temptations on unbelief should not be a one-time occurrence. Ten, twenty, or thirty years from now the answer should still be no, for the Bible teaches us that our saying should be yea, yea or nay, nay.
[Last Day Events pp 173>181] We are in the shaking time, the time when everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat. Soon God's people will be tested by fiery trials, and the great proportion of those who now appear to be genuine and true will prove to be base metal.
Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!