"Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." ....Revelation 13:10

There are those who cry, "How long?" who find it hard to exercise patience any more. But it is significant that right at the start of this book which deals with judgement, John should describe himself as, "Your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patience which are in Jesus Christ." This book of Revelation brings us to the point where God at long last sets aside patience and executes judgement. Patience is only called for while judgement is yet future. Once it has begun there is no more need of patience. But that moment has not come yet, and like John, we still live in the time when patience is needed. It is so easy to want to take up the sword against oppression and evil, but even the martyred saints are told to wait for the completion of their numbers.

Today in the Church as Christ's body, God will never justify impatience. God himself is longsuffering which means that He is tremendously patient. Has He not been so with us? It is interesting to note that in Roms.5:3 it says that, 'Tribulation produces patience and patience produces experience'. Many today lack patience which can readily be translated, 'Perseverance' or 'Endurance'. Through much tribulation we enter the 'Kingdom of God' (Acts.14:22) Patience and Faith walk hand in hand, where either is found to be missing, then the other won't be there either. Where there is no patience then there is also no genuine faith!

So many times we come across a total absence of patience in those who claim to be "Christian" and turn out to be Christian in name only. These are the 'nominal Christians', those who have nominated themselves to be like Christ, yet they have no patience with the real born again Believers at all! God has made Christ to be our patience, our endurance and our perseverance. 

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