p. 6 | Results of Rebellion by John Francis Olmsted

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Feb 12, 1914

Results of Rebellion

By John Francis Olmsted

JOHN FRANCIS OLMSTED

The baneful results of rebellion are many times obscure until sedition breaks out in the midst of malice and resentment. The seeds sown in the garden of Eden have not failed to poison and destroy.

The history of ancient Israel is in many respects a sad story. The Lord took his people from the taskmasters of Egypt, and would have placed them in the land of promise had they not been filled with envy and unbelief. They complained against Moses and against God because they feared the future. They were unwilling to trust Jehovah, and Satan caused them to murmur and complain. Korah and his confederates succeeded in winning over a large part of the congregation to their side, and as a result thousands were deceived, ruined, and destroyed. Human ideals are not always so high as they might be. When individuals should be as strong as adamant, they sometimes, like Aaron, yield for fear of personal safety. It took Moses, a man of God, to dethrone the golden calf and grind it to powder even in the face of rebellion. Dependable persons are pillars in every Christian community, and their influence is commendable when opposition is apparent.

The church of God has been assailed without and within by those who have failed to see the importance of doing right, and when reproved they feel greatly grieved and hurt. The history of rebellion is ever the same. Lucifer refused to remain in the light of God's presence as a covering cherub, and coveted a more exalted place, but he was eventually cast out of heaven for his rebellion.

Suspicion and rumor are enemies of society. Let us beware lest they turn us away from our faithful friends. The servants of the Lord are admonished not to strive, but, somehow, when men arm themselves with weapons of resentment, they forget the better and nobler traits. Loyalty to God will prompt the faithful to press on, hold on, and keep steady when the battle goes hard. The fearful and unbelieving will find themselves beyond the reach of help, while those who have yielded all to God and been faithful will receive the benediction of heaven.

The religion of Jesus Christ elevates and purifies the heart; lack of loyalty makes a man miserable and unhappy. Trust in God gives hope; unbelief makes one unworthy and suspicious. But in the extreme tests that will come to us a personal acquaintance with a personal Lord will keep us in the path of the upright, and will finally enable us to scale the rugged heights that would have disheartened and ruined us had we not had that personal hold on God.

Rebellion in its earliest stage may appear mild and harmless, but when fully developed its fangs are so securely fastened that the helpless victim cannot escape. The unfortunate are ensnared, and find out too late that genuine rebellion is incurable, and they are lost.

Springfield, Ohio.