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Faith

Discerning good from bad

In the absence of an external standard, public morality is subject to mood swings. The same crowd that hails someone as a hero on one day might lynch the same person as a villain on another day, without any change occurring in the person’s views or message. Something which on one day is hailed as good might on another day be despised as bad. Chapter 11 of the Revelation tells of the fate of two witnesses:

“I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, standing before the Lord of the earth… The beast will come up out of the abyss and will attack and overpower and kill them… People living on the earth will celebrate over them, and they will give each other gifts, because these two prophets had annoyed people living on the earth.

Being right does not necessarily bring anyone a reward. Sometimes those who are right are popular, but often those who are right get persecuted. People who stay popular are those who are fluid in their convictions, matching their behaviour and message to the current mood of the crowds, but in doing so they sacrifice integrity for the sake of retaining personal power.