I marvel at our heroes of faith in the scriptures and see them as practical, real-life models for us in our soon-coming troubles. My Anabaptist foreparents of 1525 and later demonstrated the same spirit but there are pitifully few true Anabaptists today.
So I ask, “What was it, that empowered them to have faith in God and to trust Him regardless of what it meant?” Some were delivered from prison and others suffered horribly before being put to death. Our exercise of faith is so often focused toward getting something earthly and even selfish, but theirs was unconditional faith to be obedient to the Father’s plan for them.
We have several clues in Hebrews 10:32-11:40. I’ve pasted it into a document in the ASV translation (not copyrighted) and formatted it in blocks for our study. The two small groups that I am part of are using it as a discussion text to discover the basis for the perseverance of the saints of old, and it offers several clues.
You can print it off at www.10minas.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/25-28-text.pdf for personal or group study. I encourage you to work through it, marking and discussing the several phrases or lines that reveal the basis for their strength – and then compare yourself with them. It will be instructive and humbling, and we can only do well in our own troubles if we become more like them. There are wide margins for your notes.
My brothers and sisters, we are ill-prepared for what is coming and our victory will depend on levels of relationship with God and with each other that few have today. Part of the process will be to take our eyes off of our present gods of certain political leaders, and the opportunities that our (past?) system of government and culture have provided. Now is the time to follow the example of the saints who went before us if we have any hope of doing well in the coming Day.
Let’s do it!
Ken Stoltzfus
Kidron, Ohio USA
October 31, 2025
- PDF of Hebrews 10:32-11:40 text at: www.10minas.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/25-28-text.pdf
- PDF of this post: www.10minas.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/25-28.docx