Eternity 114 - Persecution And The Kingdom Of Heaven Part Two
(Matthew 10:28 NKJV) "And do not fear those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both
soul and body in hell.
WHY WE SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID
Persecution is a paradox - our enemies may kill us, but they can do us no
harm! Luke puts the paradox very plainly: (Luke 21:16-18 NKJV) "You
will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and
they will put some of you to death. {17} "And you will be hated by
all for My name's sake. {18} "But not a hair of your head shall be
lost. (They kill you..but not a hair of your head will be lost) see also
1 John 5;18,19. This is because God seems to have a "back-up copy"
and you will be fully restored at the resurrection - down to the last hair
on your head which is numbered! (Luke 12;7, Matthew 10:30)They might chop
off your head, boil you in oil and burn you to ash but your every detail
will be restored down to hair follicle number 345672 on the left temple
in a glorious resurrection body!
Thus we are not to fear man because people cannot do us final and irrevocable
spiritual harm: (Matthew 10:28-31 NKJV) "And do not fear those who
kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able
to destroy both soul and body in hell. {29} "Are not two sparrows sold
for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your
Father's will. {30} "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
{31} "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
We are not to fear "those who can kill the body". That is highly
unnatural. If someone holds a bazooka to my head it would take a real infilling
of the Holy Spirit and a new nature not to be afraid, but that is what Jesus
asks of us. Jesus tells us not to be afraid of secret police, spies, torturers,
executioners, corrupt police, burglars and terrorists. Rather we are to
fearlessly obey the commandments of God under all circumstances. In the
end we are on the winning side:(Revelation 11:15 NKJV) Then the seventh
angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms
of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and
He shall reign forever and ever!"
And in the Millennium when this earth is regenerated and renewed we shall
even have all our possessions restored a hundred fold: (Matthew 19:28-30
NKJV) So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration,
when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed
Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
{29} "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father
or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive
a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. {30} "But many who are first
will be last, and the last first.
HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND
While we are not to fear, we are to flee! (Matthew 10:23 NKJV) "When
they persecute you in this city, flee to another. ... (Matthew 24:16 NKJV)
"then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Even Jesus
used discretion about where He ministered. (John 7:1 NKJV) saving His death
until the right time ordained by God when He set His face like flint and
went to Jerusalem. This is practical common-sense and meant for me that
after a certain threat level was reached I moved from Mindanao to Manila.
We are to overcome our fear and our visceral "fight-or-flight"
response by praying for those who persecute us, blessing them, doing them
good and living out of a new and different nature that dwells in love. (Matthew
5:44-48 NKJV) "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who
curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully
use you and persecute you, {45} "that you may be sons of your Father
in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends
rain on the just and on the unjust. {46} "For if you love those who
love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
{47} "And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than
others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? {48} "Therefore you shall
be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
We are not to react to them but rather to act upon them with spiritual authority
and power. This does not mean that we are wimps, rather we may speak plainly
and boldly as Jesus, Stephen and Paul did when facing their persecutors.
Thus we are not to b violent or timid but spiritual and strong. (Luke 12:11-12
NKJV) "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and
authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you
should say. {12} "For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour
what you ought to say."
Yet we are not to be Christian masochists but to avoid persecution where
possible and to pray for our governments that we may be free from persecution
and freely able to preach the gospel so that people can be saved: (1 Timothy
2:1-4 NKJV) Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, {2} for kings and
all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in
all godliness and reverence. {3} For this is good and acceptable in the
sight of God our Savior, {4} who desires all men to be saved and to come
to the knowledge of the truth.
CONCLUSION
The Kingdom of Heaven is in opposition to "the kingdoms of this world'
over which it will eventually triumph. We are in a war and as effective
'"salt and light" Christians we face persecution. But the weapons
of our warfare are not bombs and bullets but prayers and blessings, weapons
that will pull down spiritual strongholds. (2 Cor 10:3-5) Persecution for
righteousness sake (not for folly or criminality) is a sign that we have
been considered worthy of the Kingdom, brings great eternal reward and helps
us to grow into people whose love is perfected even to the love of one's
enemies. Persecution cannot do us any final irrevocable harm and we will
triumph over it in the end. Yet we are to be sensible and avoid it where
possible and to pray to be able to live a godly and quite life in all reverence.