St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 23, The Enemy and The Final Outcome.

Our paragraph topic is: (Opposition foretold) Part 11.  

We end our paragraph study of the (Opposition foretold) with Christ telling his disciples what to do when they are persecuted.  He says to them,  "When they persecute you in one town, flee to another."   Christ instructs his disciples to not continue with persecution.  Instead he tells them that when they are persecuted to leave.  He has given warning to the towns by saying to his disciples, if a town or village or person does not receive you, then kick the dust from your feet and leave.  The dust left behind will be the marker for the destruction of that village or town.  He tells them that it will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement than for that village where they left the dust from their feet.

Christ wants his disciples to survive.  He wants them to teach.  He does not want them to be martyrs.  The time will come for that but now they must leave those areas that persecute them and go to another.  They must continue to spread the message of the kingdom of heaven, for there are many towns and villages and the laborers are few.  Christ will follow his disciples.  They are the advance guard, preparing the way for Him.  They carry the good news to the lost people of the house of Israel.  So the message must go forth.  The people must hear the coming of Christ, and repentance must come.

Christ also tells his disciples,  "Amen I say to you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."   Christ will follow his disciples throughout the villages and towns to see their progress.  He will walk in their path.  He will see the work that they do.  He will monitor their progress.  The Teacher will see the work of his students and know that they have learned well.  By coming after his disciples Christ will also note further teachings and instructions that he needs to give his disciples.  He will tweek their training so that they are fully ready to become his apostles when his mission is completed here on earth and he returns back to heaven to his father.

The task is great.  The harvest is ready.  But the laborers are few.  The message is the same and the Helper is ready to assist.  Do you hear the calling of God?  Workers are needed.  Listen to the word.  Clear your senses so that you can hear.  Take your mind out of the world and open your heart to the word of God.  We labor for the things that the world can provide as though the providence of God cannot do the same or even more.  We lust after the pleasures of the world when God can satisfy our every need and fill the desires of our heart.  Are you ready to flee the towns and cities of the world when you are persecuted?  Are you ready to do the work of God instead of the work of the world?  Come!!  Prepare yourself for the training needed.  Christ is coming after you to see the work that you do.  Do it well and carry the message of the kingdom of heaven to all the peoples of the world.

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 22a, The Enemy and The Final Outcome.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 9.  

We have now seen the results of the battles with the evil demons that possess the villages and towns of the house of the lost sheep of Israel.  These are the locations that Christ sent his disciples to preach the kingdom of heaven.  He did not want them to go in the direction of the Gentiles.  He did not want them to go to Samaria.  He wanted them to first go the the lost sheep of the house of Israel to present to them the kingdom of heaven.  These are the people that have strayed.  These are the people that were first chosen by God.  These were the descendants of Abraham.  And Christ wanted to first bring them into the fold.  He wanted to offer first the opportunity for them to turn back to the one true God from which they had been led astray.

Christ trained his disciples so that they would know what to do when they faced the tricks of the enemy.  He fortified them with the weapons of war so that they would not be overcome.  And he instructed them how to bring forth the Spirit of the Father when they faced the kings and governors possessed by the evil one.  He now tells them of the final outcome of the battles they will face.  He shows them the destruction that will be brought about by the evil one who will seek to kill and destroy those who return to the teachings of Christ.  There will be division.  There will be separation.  There will be bloodshed amongst family members, brothers against brother, father against child, children against parents.  The evil one will seek to destroy all who do not follow his way.  He will seek to eliminate all who believe in Christ.

Christ tells his disciples,  "And you will be hated by all for my name's sake."   For he knows the operations of the enemy.  He knows that the enemy will spread hatred like wildfire spreads throughout the dry grasslands.  He will inflict fear in the minds and hearts of those who do not believe.  He will drive the people like cattle to the slaughter the innocent and encourage them to kill, like a crowd mentality without a mind.  The new doctrine of Christ will be rejected by those who do not believe.  It will be cursed by the unbelievers.  It will be blasphemed against.  And the evil one will rejoice in his accomplishments.  And the name of Christ will be hated by all the demons who possess men.  And the men of this world who follow the evil one will come to hate the name of Christ also.  He is the light of the world.  His message is true.  And they will hate him.

Throughout time the battle continues.  For Christ's  name those who believe are hated.  Those who follow the teachings are scorned.  Those who believe in the principles are set aside.  For the world does not believe.  The world believes only in itself and what it can conceive.  This is the world of the evil one.  This is the world that we live in.  And many are blinded.  Many are deceived and do not know.  Many have been brought up to believe that the world is the way.  Many think that they are part of the world and do not know the difference.  For they have not been told.  They have not seen.  Their ears have been shut and their hearts filled with the lust of the world.  For they believe that the world provides for their needs, both physical and spiritual, and they do not know. 

There is no place for spiritual principles in the way of the world.  The evil one has diluted the true message so that now there are several messages, and several platforms that deliver the message.  Each platform claiming the true message, having the right to deliver its own version.  So now as a result no one message comes forth and no one message has the right to come forth over another, for that would be conflict and would infringe upon the rights of other platforms.  So confusion reigns.  And the harvest withers on the vine because the harvesters are in confusion.  And the lost sheep continue to be lost.  Those who are lost use doubt and ambiguity as the source of their disbelief.  The lost sheep turn from the message because they see uncertainty, they see ambiguity, they see confusion, they see many messages and platforms.  And Christ said that the disciples will be hated by all.  All the demons and the people possessed by them, hate those who carry the message of Christ.  Are you hated by the people because of your belief in Christ?  Know that the demons despise you but Christ loves you.

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 21, The Enemy and his Tricks.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 8.  

In the previous parts of this paragraph Christ has given his disciples tools of war, weapons to fight the evil spirits that they will encounter and do battle with.  He has trained them for the spiritual realm in which they will fight.  This battle is not in the physical realm but the spiritual realm, even though the results of the battle can have physical consequences.  This is what Christ now shows his disciples.  He tells them that there will be physical consequences to this battle.  There will be separation.  There will be division.  There will be blood shed by the people.  The demons will not go easily.  They will cause their own evil disciples to bring about destruction and death and bloodshed upon the believers.

Christ gives his disciples a glimpse into the future, showing them the results of their teachings.  He tells them,  "Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and put them to death."   All this will happen because of the spread of the message of the kingdom of heaven.  The demons will cause believers to fight against unbelievers and this will bring about destruction.  Brothers who grew up together and loved one another will turn and become enemies.  One will give up the other to death because of the evil that is in man's hearts.  Fathers will sacrifice their children to death because the children will not change from their belief in the message of Christ.  Children will rise up against their parents because they think that their parents do not embrace the old teachings of the kingdom.  Destruction will reign and this is the will of the evil one.  They will not be able to change the beliefs of those who hold to the beliefs of Christ so they will persecute, and torture, and beat, and kill the bodies of those who believe.  And Christ will accept them into his kingdom as saints.

Today in our society and in societies all over the world believers in the one true God face the same persecution.  They are tortured, slain, and put to death for their beliefs because the devil has taken control of those areas of the world and invaded the hearts of men.  In this society, in America and more civilized countries, we still have the same persecution but not quite as severe.  Fathers deny their children and cast them out because of their beliefs.  Children give up their parents when they enter into the world because of the teachings that their parents instilled in them .  They are indoctrinated and blinded by the dazzle of the world and give up their spiritual values handed down by their parents.  Brothers separate and build walls between themselves because of their religious beliefs.  The principles of love and family die and the evil one cuts the ties that bind them together and places a wall of separation between them.  We still face the same enemy today, only hidden from us in the cloak of industrialization, glitz and glamour.

Love conquers all and the love of Christ  will open doors to fight the enemy.  The lessons that Christ  has given his disciples must be applied today.  Do not be surprised if you are separated from your family for following the message of Christ .  Do not be surprised if you are persecuted, ostracized at work, unpopular with friends, left out, denied opportunities, talked about, and looked down upon.  All these are the tactics of the devil to sway you into his plan.  Keep the faith.  Hold the course.  Rely on the Lord for your strength.  He will provide.  He will see you through.  You will not be alone because there will be others to share your burdens and walk with you along the path of life given  you by Christ .  Keep the message of the kingdom of heaven and remember the words of Christ , "Do not be anxious!"   Keep your hearts calm and free from anxiety, for the Spirit of the Father will come to you and will speak through you.  Are you ready for the coming separation, brother against brother, father against child, children against parents?  Prepare yourself.