Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
This week Michael writes: World views are important. Looking at the world from the biblical perspective of the Kingdom of Heaven reveals that the world is upside-down. Christian Noah Webster defined the word persecution in his 1828 Dictionary as: The act or practice of persecuting; the infliction of pain, punishment or death upon others unjustly, particularly for adhering to a religious creed or mode of worship, either by way of penalty or for compelling them to renounce their principles.
The secular world’s definition of persecution is suffering, affliction, and humiliation for what you believe. To endure irritation, frustration, and exasperation inflicted by those who oppose you. However, Jesus said that persecution is a blessing. Why is it a blessing to be persecuted by the world?
According to Isaiah 58, the fast is not just to abstain from eating. Similar to the Christian season of Lent leading up to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday which begins just after “Fat Tuesday” and the festival of “Carnival” (Latin – Carne meaning flesh and Val meaning away with) meaning away with the sinful lust desires of the fallen flesh. Is fasting and Lent not abstinence to turn away from wickedness; to release the bands of sin on those held captive, to bring the poor into your Lord’s house and to clothe and feed them with righteousness? Is this not the fast of the Sabbath also? Leviticus 23:3 “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.”
Jesus Christ lifted up the oppressed and persecuted. He restored them according to the Law of God’s Love. As disciples of Christ, we confess that our heart’s desire is to serve the Lord from a heart of pure love. How do we serve the Lord? Jesus said, in that you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me. According to 1 John 3, This is the message we have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
The spiritual battle rages on. Israel turned away from God in their apostasy and persecuted the Old Testament Prophets of God. The murderers of Jesus persecuted Jesus’ disciples for following Him. The conflict between good and evil will always be with us. There will always be wars and rumors of war. The dark evil will try to extinguish the light of the truth of the Word of God. “For he that does evil hates the light. Neither comes to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that does truth comes into the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought of God – John 3:20-21.
The battle of good and evil plays out in history and in current events. The devil hides in darkness. He rarely shows his true colors. To accomplish his purposes he acts through worldly rulers to punish those who do not succumb to his perverted purposes. Those who are influenced by the secular world’s doctrine, persecute the righteous according to their twisted and perverted morality of so-called “tolerance.” They can tolerate anything except the truth of God’s righteous standard … the Word of God made manifest.
Let’s continue Michael’s message in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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