“The beast…will make war…and kill them…But after three and a half days…” – Revelation 11: 7, 11

Scripture reading: Revelation 11:7-19; Mathew 24:9-14

When one of our members faced a difficult diagnosis a fellow Christian said to them, “Don’t worry, you’re immortal till your work is done.”

The quote was first given by George Whitefield, a preacher of the great awakening in the 1700s. It reminds us both of the power of God in believers enabling them to serve in His kingdom and the sovereignty of God to determine when He alone shall end the earthly journey of those believers.

In Revelation 11 we learn that near the end of time the work of the church as a public, visible witness will end. The church will never die, but she will externally diminish. Under persecution she will go underground. God will continue to build His church, but her visible presence will appear small and insignificant and the world will rejoice.

God wants us to witness in power while being ready to suffer for Jesus. He wants us to know that when it seems the world has won, the Saviour is around the corner, and glory is soon to come. It was the future martyr, Jim Elliot, who said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

The church is the witness of Christ, and she shall carry out her work both in power and in humiliation, in joy and in suffering. God will sustain her just as He wills, until her work is done and she enters His glory.

Suggestions for prayer

Lord may we be faithful in suffering, immortal until our work is done.

Pastor Greg Bylsma is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary, and he is currently serving at the Living Water Reformed Church in Brantford, Ontario. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.