St. Peter knew something about suffering persecution and experiencing God's grace in the midst of it. It is difficult to imagine anything that is not done for the glory of God. Pity them, for their judgment will be great. 1 Peter 3-4 New International Version (NIV). If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. God knows our heart, and therefore God already knows the outcome of the test. The Lord Jesus told us about the Final Tribulation Period in Matthew 24:21. Here in chapter 7 God showed Daniel four beasts. To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; Then one nation after another receives the cup of God’s wrath, until all the kingdoms of the earth have received the cup of God’s wrath. Judgment will begin with the family of God. He saved us by engraving our names with a nail in the palm of His hand. But at the end of time God is angry at all the nations of the world for embracing the false gospels. | Powered by WordPress, These are mighty solemn words for the household of faith. Eventually we realized they thought we were doctors. Don’t be surprised, he says, at the fiery trial that you are experiencing. Most churches today will cling to the promise that Christ will build His Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh. But did you know that the honor to suffer for His sake is also a gift from God? Even the heathen cannot escape bringing glory to God. KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT. “Time” means appointed time or the opportune point of time when God judges the Christian, especially given divine discipline. Meaning of 1 Peter 4:17 According to Calvinists. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. We cannot escape the fact that verse 17 is wedged in between a whole passage on suffering. God saved them, and God is going to preserve them so that they will not be led astray by other gospels that are so close to the true Gospel. The election refers to the group of people whom God chose from all the nations of the world, including the nation of Israel. But the rest of the Church will be led astray, and that is the Judgment on the House of God. According to Revelation 1, every Church is symbolically represented by a candlestick in heaven. But it was all according to the Will of God. We felt justified because we were not appreciated. That's a hard idea for some of us, but it is what Peter is saying here. Change ). They are being judged with the Word. What does 1 Peter 4:17 mean? That Judgment begins at the House of God is a deduction from the vision of Ezekiel 9. God says that we all will endure a fiery trial, which is to test us. Why do they receive the cup of God’s wrath? When they realized we had come to talk about spiritual things, the atmosphere chilled. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Al the families of the North. The writer of Hebrews also makes clear that our God is a Father who disciplines His children (Hebrews 12:3–17). But God used this historical event to paint the picture as if Babylon did conquer the whole world. There seems to be very little chance that we will be reproached for the name of Christ. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. Subscribe. history of the world. 1 Peter 4:16 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] 1 Peter 4:16, NIV: "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." 2 Thessalonians 1:4 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Let’s look at: Nebuchadnezzar, My Servant (Jeremiah 25:9,15,18,26,29, Jeremiah 27:5-7). It is a promise made only to those who are truly saved. God wants Christians to deal with our sins now. If we want to discuss the end time we can use Revelation 11,12, Jeremiah 25, 27, Daniel 7 and 8, but we do not need to drag 1 Peter 4:17 into it. Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. by Grant Richison | Jan 1, 1998 | 1 Peter | 0 comments, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”. No Christian will face the Great White Throne judgment (Jn 5:24; Ro 8:1). However, a Christian will face discipline for stepping out of fellowship with God. We must not take this verse out of context. God says in verse 15. Don’t take their insult personally, because they have not insulted you, but they have insulted your Heavenly Father. Matthew 7:1 Since we will not deal with this now, God may have to deal with it. Second possibility: He owns us. And this is said, lest we should securely indulge ourselves, but carefully proceed in our course, and lest we should also seek the smooth and easy road, the end of which is a terrible precipice. Just in case we have not understood all these ramifications, God rubs it in again in verse 25. 1 Peter 4 - Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 1 Peter 1:13-21 13 Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. This is clear language telling us that the faithful Churches, represented by the two witnesses, are killed (spiritually) and that God has used Nebuchadnezzar, representing Satan, to bring judgment on the Church worldwide because of the apostasy in the Church near the end of time. The Final Tribulation Period is the last period of great trouble. In other words, 1 Peter 4:17 is not speaking specifically about the time of the end. A judgment can be good or bad, in your favor or against you, but in the New Testament krima is usually bad. It should have stated: “And if the righteous with difficulty, or not easily, be saved,………” That is absolutely true. Matthew 7:2 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls (to him) in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 1 Peter 3:17 It is true that we will suffer during the Final Tribulation Period. People in the Church can be led astray because not everyone in the Church is a saved individual. We stopped an ongoing fellowship with the Lord. But can we point to another verse where this Greek word Judgment (Krima) is used by unbelievers who are judging others? Likewise, if the heathen persecute us, remember the words of 1 Peter 4:14. Amen. The little horn represents Satan. God says. These elect, these chosen of God cannot be deceived. They represent the faithful Church who preaches the true Gospel into all the world. 1 Peter 4:16. Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. On your outline I have included a great number of other verses, which support the teaching I have presented. Daniel 7:21 1 Peter 4:16 Your email address will not be published. (allotriepiskopos). Your email address will not be published. Living for God. Peter Freed from Prison,' by Florentine painter Filippino Lippi (1457-1504), fresco, 230 x 88 cm, Cappella Brancacci, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence. Our sins have not been barely paid, but they have been paid in full. God made us believe His Word. The Church is an externally visible organization. We will suffer because our Church is being judged by God, because of the apostasy committed by her. There was a time when we kept short accounts with God. Philippians 1:29 Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. If we want to discuss the end time we can use Revelation 11,12, Jeremiah 25, 27, Daniel 7 and 8, but we do not need to drag 1 Peter 4:17 into it. If this verse is to be understood within its context, then it simply is saying that the unbelievers pass judgment first on the Church. That Church has come under the Judgment of God, and God removes the candlestick of that church out of its place. Follow Desiring God on Twitter. For the time (is come) that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? But the elect are those whom God chose unto salvation, and they form the nucleus of Born Again believers in the Church. The common theme in this passage is that of persecution because of our witness for Christ, as stated in verse 14. The House of God is the New Testament Church. Jeremiah 25:15 God does not need the test, but we do. The Lord Jesus already told His disciples that they would endure suffering for His sake. His grace is altogether sufficient for us. But that is not possible. We suffer persecutions because we dare to witness for Christ. Jeremiah 25:26 It is called the remnant chosen by grace, because they have been chosen unto salvation not based on any work that they have done, not based on any decision or action to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but they have been saved entirely by the grace of God. ο definite article - nominative singular masculine ho ho: the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom) -- the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc. Such a situation is tailor-made for Satan. 1 Peter 4:17. Active 1 year, 6 months ago. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as “a busybody in other men’s matters”. We shared our faith. And here we read that every believer will suffer for Christ’s sake. “Judgment Must Begin at the House of God” (1 Peter 4:17, Matthew 24:21,24,15,29,37-39, Romans 11:7). We have already seen last week that this is a figure, which means that the emissaries of Satan, who are bringing their own false gospels into the Church, will overrun the Church. God is not the one waiting to pass judgment when we are being tried. 1 Peter 5:1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed (NASB: Lockman) Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12–19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. The Bible says: NO! Some people develop a martyr attitude; they are unhappy because they think that they are treated unjustly. [⇑ See verse text ⇑] God does, in fact, judge His children on this side of eternity. Both saved and unsaved people are joining the Church. As in human courts, judgment is a process. Does God mean that we got saved by the skin of our teeth? 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. He has glorified us: 1 Peter 2:9 That is why God wrote in 1 Peter 4: What does God mean that the righteous scarcely be saved? Required fields are marked *, Notify me of followup comments via e-mail, Designed by Elegant Themes ( Log Out /  Sometimes it is for the purpose of teaching others what it means to live for God’s glory. This entire passage speaks about suffering for Christ. They have already passed sentence before all the facts are in. And then, these false gospels will overrun the whole world. Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.a. Historically, Babylon did not conquer the whole world. Arm yourselves with the same mind— Which will be armour of proof against all your enemies. If someone suffers, let it not be because of some suffering we put on ourselves. Then God sent us out as His ambassadors, and that is when the suffering started. To get what 1 Peter 4:17 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity. In other words, we read in Revelation 11:7-8 that the kingdom of Satan will silence the Gospel by overrunning the faithful Churches in the world with gospels that are so close to the true Gospel. And what other suffering did God write about in 1 Peter 4? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? But then, in verses 7 and 8we read. This is supported by many verses. For he that hath suffered in the flesh— That hath so suffered as to he thereby made inwardly and truly conformable to the sufferings of Christ. This judgment is a judgment in, The time “has come” for living in constant fellowship with God, but we keep. And we can find many verses, which support this principle. Christ has all the strength. Notice where the two witnesses are killed: The great city, which is representing the kingdom of Satan, which is spiritually called Sodom, the wicked city doomed for destruction, and it is spiritually called Egypt, which is a picture of the kingdom of Satan, and where also our Lord was crucified. Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: One reason for this is because the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. But Satan can silence the witness of the saints, and that would have the same effect as if he would have killed the saints. Could it be that God is passing judgment over a long period of time as this one fails the test, and as that one passes the test, and so on? In the United States, the American Dream is often proclaimed as if it were gospel: anyone who works hard and makes good choices can be happy and successful. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 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