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And when he came near, the proconsul asked him if he was Polycarp. After he confessed that he was, the proconsul tried to persuade him to deny Christ and said, “Have respect to your old age . . . swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent” . . . Then, the proconsul urging him . . . “Swear, and I will set you at liberty, reproach Christ;” Polycarp declared, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” And when the proconsul again pressed him, and said, “Swear by the fortune of Caesar,” he answered, “Since you are vainly urging . . . me to swear by the fortune of Caesar, and pretend not to know who and what I am, hear me declare with boldness, that I am a Christian . . . The proconsul then said to him, “I have wild beasts at hand; to these will I cast you, except thou repent.” But he answered, “Call them then . . . it is well for me to be changed from what is evil to what is righteous.” But again the proconsul said to him, “Seeing that you despise the wild beasts, I will cause you to be consumed by fire if you do not repent.” But Polycarp said, “You threaten me with fire which burns for only an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why do you delay? Bring forth what you will.” (Eusebius. The Encyclical Epistle Of The Church At Smyrna, chapters 9-10). Jesus wants us to be faithful. He wants us to be willing to tell others
about Himself - to be willing to die for Him! Are you willing?
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| Revelation: Prophecy of the Future | |||||
