By: Gen. Jim – 10-18-24
“Beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. . .” Matthew 10:17
Jesus here was addressing the issue of persecution. Verses 16-22 was not only a matter-of-fact that anyone who would follow Him would be persecuted, but how they would be prosecuted etc. Jesus starts with, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves…” (Vs.16) This statement goes beyond that of His original disciples. It, I believe, is addressed to the true Christian Church, which includes you and me. The mood and the substance are stark. Perhaps it echos the stern persecutions suffered by the Faithful under “crazed” Nero, and perhaps those under Trajan by the early church.
Here, Christ who lived under persecution by His very own people (Jews) issues a dark warning of what was coming and what to expect. Jesus was accused of being a devil, therefore worthy of DEATH!! They accused Him of casting out devils by the prince of devils, the ruler of the demons (Mt. 9:34, Luke 11:15).Note the words, “I send you forth” 10:16. Just as a military commander would send his troops into battle where danger, even death would be an unseen enemy.
Mark 3:9 is a parallel to Matthew 10:16, 17. The “councils” were the local Sanhedrin (23 members) who judged the “guilty”(?). The scourging goes back to the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 25:1-3). Remember Paul (then Saul) had beaten Christians (see Acts 22:19). Later as a Christian, Paul underwent this punishment five times (2Corinthians 11:24; finally this faithful man of God met his death at the hands of the Romans (the Jews condemned him to death).
So, dear brothers and sisters in the faith, what will we do when we too face persecution, prosecution, and maybe death?
Question: What if courage should fail us? What if tongue should fail, and Christ Jesus be put to shame? What if we deny Him in order to avoid persecution and prosecution? Those are the questions that hagride any honorable follow of the Lord Jesus. Note what Christ says in Matthew 10:19: “But WHEN (not IF) they DELIVER you up.” Been there, done that! (See our articles on our Persecutions and Prosecutions and imprisonment on false charges).
Jesus speaks of “governors’ (vs. 18) and “kings,” could be both Roman and Jewish. Pilate was a Roman governor; Kings can include tetrarchs like Herod Antipas as well such local kings as Herod Agrippa 1 (See Acts 12; 12:1).(note: one good source is A Source Book for Ancient Church History by J.C. Ayer, 1913 pp.66-68; see also the Acts of the Scilitan Martyrs).
It is rightly said that carefully worked out defenses will not necessarily protect Jesus’ followers. While I (and our ACMTC family) have stayed off some persecutions/prosecutions, some were meant for lessons-to-be learned and for personal growth (see our PX2 Files trilogy/DVDs for our warfare with both state and church). Read Matthew 10:16-33 lots to ponder!
Early Church Father, Polycarp (69—156 A.D.)faithful bishop of the Ekklesia at Smyrna, friend of Ignatius (35—107 A.D.) and a disciple of the apostle John, we read where he waved his hand toward the throng of lawless and hateful men in the arena and said, “Eighty and six years have I been His disciple and He hath done Me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme My King who saved Me?” (Lucius Waterman, the Post-Apostolic Age in Ten Epochs of Church History, 1898, II, 138). Polycarp was arrested in his very old age and was BURNED TO DEATH! (156 A.D.)
I could cite many Christian men and women who faced persecution and prosecution and death. … .only to STAND STRONG, not giving way to the devil of hagridden, ie. Obsessed or harassed as by Fears.
There are clear blue skies, as well as dark cloudy ones in this Christian walk. There are days of sunshine as well as days where the sun shines not. There are days of both frown and favor. But our steadfast faithfulness is our noblest and most effective weapon of the Kingdom. Oh, how many have I seen turn back in the day of battle—never to return—to save their lives. Well, dear ones, if one turns back, they have committed spiritual suicide.
Persecution/prosecution/prison are to be expected if one remains true to Christ. What does the Word say? Read 2 Timothy 3;12 to start with: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus WILL SUFFER PRESECUTION”. This, dear ones is a Promise!!!
Read what follows Paul’s statement about persecution. “While evildoers and impostors will go from BAD to WORSE, deceiving and being deceived” (V. 13, NIV)
Persecution, Prosecution, and Prison may decrease thank God as society accepts the Bible’s values and teachings. But NOW is not that time. America has grown over the years, more and more anti Christ. As I write this article (only days away from the 2024 Presidential Election) Hell’s Forces are enraged against any and all who do not and will not side with the “Left’s” sick and satanic agendas—to bring in a New World Order (odor!) under Marxism! This is a fact!
Evil doers and impostors! Yep, they are here and they are queer! Some act like “believers” but are “impostors”. Others are outright demons in human bodies, no pretense, just mean-as-Hell without shame. They hate Christ, Christians, and Christianity. They hate the “Right”, especially the MAGA supporters. They hate Donald Trump with an UNHOLY HATRED that makes demons blush! If they had their way (devilish), all patriots, conservatives, and Christians would be prosecuted, imprisoned, and the most ardent would be put to death. The (satanic) Media is basically calling for Civil War. They already have the murderous agenda against the unborn, now they are calling for war against the family unit—they want your children. ….. turning them into trans-sex-perverts…turning them against mom and d ad’s authority. You are a fool to believe otherwise.
The putrid swamp breeds more and more feckless fecal matter eaters. Marxist excrement is their food. In one sense, these swamp creatures are miserable misanthropes—they hate all peoples, even themselves. Most are plagued with PTSD—fighting against God and His people. OBNOXIOUS miscreants. When they attack will you stand up for Christ? Will you PREVAIL against HELL or will you be just one more pusillanimous pushover? There is no end to their chicanery. . .unless we put an END to it. This is the hour in which we must prevail against the gates of HELL-holding captives some of whom long to be Free!
Virgil’s, “The Aeneid” (epic poem, about Aeneas and his adventures: escaping from ruined Troy, Aeneas wanders for years before coming to Latium: he is considered to be the forefather to the Romans). I thought what he wrote is fitting to end this article: “It is easy to go down into Hell; Night and day the gates of dark DEATH stand wide; but to climb back up again, to retrace one’s steps to the open air, there lies the problem, the difficult task.”
We do not have to go down under persecution, prosecution, and prison, the trials of tribulations. We do not have to give in to the pressures of the day. We do not have to bow to the desires of the Left or any other force that wants to destroy our faith in God. No Sir! It is time for Revolution—The solution to the Left’s pollution is Bloody Revolution. The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses all sin! Get out or get ALL THE WAY IN!!!