You are here, “X”. The map board at the mall always shows us where we are. Of course we usually do the customary 360 degree twirl once or twice in front of the map board to see exactly where we are, but the board gives us a good indication as to what direction we want to walk in. Most of life feels like we are jungle explorers looking at an old map with an “X” on it and holding a machete, so that we can make it through the vegetation to our destination. We don’t always see ahead very well. We have to push through to find our way. “Where are we?” “Are we there yet?” These are things we might hear on the journey. With the Bible as our map we can plan, and plot, and pursue the “X”. The funny thing is, within the Body of Christ, there are many paths that people are on. Some need to find Jesus, while those who found Jesus are looking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Others have found their way to Jesus and the Holy Spirit and are pursuing the kingdom of heaven. There are some people who keep going backward to gather more people and others who simply yell “follow me” as they push ahead. Our story is unique to us because Jesus wanted it that way. Overall there are way points and benchmarks that are established on our way. For example, no one who is redeemed is going to live through the tribulation. If one is not redeemed then that one will go through the tribulation assuming the tribulation happens in his or her lifetime. Therefore a benchmark or a way point that we are coming to is the redemption of the saints in the rising up and away, or the harpazo. Also known as the “above congregation”, the “holy convocation”, the “gathering together”, or “the day of redemption”. The redeemed are gathered and those that are not redeemed will not be gathered.
If we look at our chaotic world we are always tempted to call every newsworthy incident the start of the tribulation, or an indication that we are in the tribulation. However this is not the case. Wars have been fought for six thousand years on the earth and at least that long in the heavens. Each conflict is not a “sign” of the tribulation. There is also no place of absolute peace on the earth. There may be short times of peace and quiet, but there is no “age of peace” until the prince of peace rules from Jerusalem for one thousand years. But to get to that point in time we have to use a machete to chop our way to our appointed end, whether it is our time to die or to be gathered.
Working backward in time when viewing the events in the book of Revelation, we know that the redeemed are singing a new song in heaven before Jesus opens one seal. We know that angels are not redeemed. We know that the Jesus rejecters are not redeemed. We know that Jesus’ blood redeems us and will make us kings and priests during his reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. For the point of this discussion, let’s make this point our “X”. The gathering of the saints from paradise and from the earth, the holy convocation, when Jesus calls from the clouds, as our point of direction. Now what is to happen before this time on the earth? A lot of crazy things. Christian are going to be persecuted, both globally and within our own families. The news media barely reports the persecutions of Christians but it is happening worldwide. Let’s explore.
https://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/03/when-we-get-to-heaven-revelation-5_11.html
https://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2023/07/harpazod-who-are-redeemed-seven-events.html
According to opendoors.org 5,621 Christians were killed last year. There were 360 million Christians persecuted for their Christian faith. Numbers always tell a story. There are about 2.6 billion Christians in the world. While the number of Christians killed for their faith is very small (0.000216 %), the number of persecuted Christians is about 13.8%. While we might think that the highest number of murders and persecutions occur in the middle east, the truth is that it is worse in Asia.
Of the top fifty countries where persecutions of Christians are taking place, the highest is in North Korea where there is an estimated 400,000 Christians living. The surprise here is that there are any Christians living in North Korea to persecute. North Korea is predominantly atheist, so the persecution comes from the government. Anyone not in a state approved church has to practice Christianity in secret. There are only five state run churches, three are Protestant, one Catholic and one Russian Orthodox.
The majority of the fifty countries that persecute and murder Christians are in Africa and the Middle East. We know from a number of biblical accounts that this will be the place were the greatest number of conflicts will occur during the tribulation. Once the beast rises up to kill Babylon the remaining Jews and muslims will be forced to take the mark of the beast and we know that that is an allegiance to the beasts’ god with a phrase that is actually not a number at all.
https://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-book-of-revelation-overview.html
But there is another surprise in this story. The lowest rated country of the top fifty is in Central America. The persecution rating of Christians in Nicaragua comes in at 50 which is the lowest out of fifty countries looked at. Oddly Nicaragua claims 95% of its population as Christian. With such a large percentage of the population following Christianity it seems unusual that Nicaragua makes the list at all. Under the regime of Daniel Ortega Nicaraguan Christians suffer frequent government military attacks, including church arson and the exile of priests and Christian leaders. Christians are being sent to Costa Rica and being accused of subversion and supporting terrorism. It seems odd that the government can persecute Christians when 95% of the population overall is supposedly Christian. The only explanation is that the actual people are powerless against a tyrannical government and its military. How is it that the international church at large isn’t attempting to stop this persecution?
Besides the 5,621 murdered Christians worldwide, there were 2,110 churches attacked and 4,542 people detained. These stories go untold because non-Christian media has no interest in them unless it suits an agenda. When these stories do come out and are told in our churches some people become overemotional and immediately cry out that we are living in the tribulation. We are not in the time period of the tribulation. We are still living in the time that Jesus told us about in Matthew 10.
https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/
While those stories of Christians who are persecuted are being attacked by non-Christians, we also have the persecution of Christians by Christians. This happens every time one group or denomination disagrees with another. Someone has to stand up and tell you why their brand of Christianity is better than the others. There are also wolves among the shepherds as Jesus told us. The wolves devour and persecute the sheep. The wolves intentionally lead sheep astray, working for their own monetary gain, disregarding the flock. There are also denominations that seek to be relevant with the world and erase the terms “husband” and “wife” so as not to offend the non-believers. If one’s membership has sunk so low that it seems necessary to erase words, doesn’t that in itself speak loudly of the failure of the shepherds? If one denomination can erase a couple of words from the text, then other denominations can erase the words they do not like. In the end all we will end up with is empty pages and a little man from the global money club rewriting his “accurate and inclusive” new bible for the world. Redemption is for the redeemed who actively believe and confess that Jesus is their Messiah who died but on the third day rose up from the grave. Jesus’ blood does not cleanse the non-believer. Therefore if the wolves are devouring the sheep and erasing words or rewriting the Bible that was given to us by the Holy Spirit then those people are not redeemed. Do not follow them.
Narrowing the path down even further is the realization that Jesus came with a sword to divide, not to bring peace, not yet anyway. Timing is always relevant. From the time that Jesus was on the earth until the time of the millennial kingdom there will be divisions, swords, and no peace. This is not only in the broader sense of the world, or the smaller sense of the church, but in the narrow sense of our very families.
Matthew 10:34 G3361 You should not G3543 think G3754 that G2064 I came G906 to cast G1515 peace G1909 upon G3588 the G1093 earth; G3756 I came not G2064 G906 to cast G1515 peace, G235 but G3162 a sword.
Jesus says that he did not come to throw peace. Think about his terminology, throw peace. Jesus is not throwing tranquility, or security, or harmony amongst people. Jesus did not come to keep the earth out of wars, or chaos, or insanity. Instead Jesus says contrariwise he came to throw a knife, a machaira. Why is Jesus throwing knives? Is Jesus throwing knives randomly or is he throwing them at people? Maybe he is throwing them to people. We really do need a machete.
You have a machaira, Paul told you to use it, Ephesians 6:17.
Ephesians 6:17…..G2532 and G3588 the G3162 sword G3588 of the G4151 spirit! G3739 which G1510.2.3 is G4487 [2word G2316 1God's].
The machaira pneuma is the rhēma of the Elohim. The knife of the Spirit is the spoken word of the Elohim. Jesus says he threw a knife. Keep this in mind as we continue.
Matthew 10:35 G2064 For I came G1063 G1369 to cleave G444 a man G2596 against G3588 G3962 his father, G1473 G2532 and G2364 a daughter G2596 against G3588 G3384 her mother, G1473 G2532 and G3565 a daughter-in-law G2596 against G3588 G3994 her mother-in-law; G1473
There is a strange translation here. The word “cleave” does not mean join but to disunite, or to divide in two, dichazō. Jesus is not unifying the family, he is making families hostile towards one another. The dichazō is a verb and the motion is katá, downward. The action is like from heaven to earth. The division or the disuniting is from head to toe.
Matthew 10:36 G2532 and G2190 the enemies G3588 of the G444 man G3588 are the ones G3615 of his own house. G1473
The “actively hostile” are relatives of the manfaced. They are family. This is interesting as the family is not close or close knit. The children are now separated. Jesus continues.
Matthew 10:37 G3588 The one G5368 being fond of G3962 a father G2228 or G3384 mother G5228 above G1473 me, G3756 is not G1510.2.3 G1473 worthy of me; G514 G2532 and G3588 the one G5368 being fond of G5207 a son G2228 or G2364 daughter G5228 above G1473 me, G3756 is not G1510.2.3 G1473 worthy of me. G514
The word translated fond is phileō, meaning “love or cherish as a friend”. The word is a verb showing “active love of duty and respect” to someone. In other words, neither parents or children should come between us and Jesus Messiah. The point is that our family does not come before Jesus otherwise we are not deserving of Jesus. Do not put parents or children before Jesus the Messiah. We love Jesus first individually, because he first loved us. Then we are worthy or suitable for Jesus. This is important. If we put our family ahead of Jesus Christ then we are not suitable for Him. In addition to that we are supposed to take up our cross.
Matthew 10:38 G2532 And G3739 the one who G3756 does not G2983 take G3588 G4716 his cross G1473 G2532 and G190 follow G3694 after G1473 me, G3756 is not G1510.2.3 G1473 worthy of me. G514
Whoever does not receive or lay hold of his stake or cross and accompany or follow behind Jesus is not suitable for Jesus. What does he mean? Jesus chose to die for all of those who would believe on him, to redeem them. While we cannot die for others like Jesus did, we may actually have to lay our lives down. We may have to be martyred or suffer as a martyr. We all have persecutions to bear. Some are persecuted for witnessing the word of God. Some are persecuted for ministering healing so someone who gets healed. Some are persecuted for expounding on the map with the “X” and explaining the future as the Holy Spirit mapped out for us. Some are persecuted just for being a follower of Jesus Christ. Do not be surprised for what they want to persecute you for, just know it is normal. In this sense then, do not put children or parents ahead of Jesus. Be aware of the persecution, carry the cross, follow Jesus.
Matthew 10:39 G3588 The one G2147 finding G3588 G5590 his life, G1473 G622 shall lose it; G1473 G2532 and G3588 the one G622 losing G3588 G5590 his life, G1473 G1752 because of G1473 me, G2147 shall find G1473 it.
Jesus says that the one who searches to discover the soul, or breath life, perishes. Don’t search for breath life or soul life. We will be destroyed. There is no point to navel gazing, we cannot find life that way. Instead, if our soul perishes for Jesus’ sake, we will discover life, eternal life with Him. This sounds mixed up. Don’t we want to live forever on the earth? No. We want to live for as long as Jesus has appointed us to live on the earth. Then we want to move onto our next habitation. If we completely surrender to Jesus Christ to find our life in him then we will be exactly where we are supposed to be at all given times, whether in paradise awaiting the call from the clouds, or being called up at the catching away.
Let’s go back to the previous ideas that Jesus shared and this will make more sense. Sometimes by reversing the paragraphs we understand the context better. Jesus says that the hairs on our head are all numbered. That is a pretty microscopic look at us all.
Matthew 10:30 G1473 But you, G1161 G2532 even G3588 the G2359 hairs G3588 of the G2776 head G3956 [2all G705 3counted G1510.2.6 1are].
31 G3361 Do not G3767 then G5399 fear! G4183 [2 than many G4765 3sparrows G1308 1you differ]. G1473
Do not fear as you are more excellent than many sparrows. Jesus knows every hair on your head. In short, nothing about you escapes him, and nothing about any of us is hidden from him. No one can hide anything from Jesus, even if they can hide secret sins from the people, Jesus knows it all.
Matthew 10:32 G3956 Every one G3767 then G3748 whoever G3670 shall acknowledge G1722 being mine G1473 G1715 before G3588 G444 men, G3670 I shall acknowledge, G2504 even myself, G1722 him G1473 G1715 before G3588 G3962 my father, G1473 G3588 of the one G1722 in G3772 heavens.
This is a key requirement of all manfaced; confess, acknowledge, or publicly declare that you are in Jesus before the face of men. Then Jesus will confess, acknowledge, or publicly declare that he, Jesus himself, is in you, before the face of the Heavenly Father. This was the problem that the church at Sardis had. They were not confessing being in Christ before other people. By their correction we realize that we must make public confession an important part of our own redemption. Jesus says the opposite just to make his point.
Matthew 10:33 G3748 And whoever G1161 G302 G720 should deny G1473 me G1715 before G3588 the G444 men, G720 I shall deny G1473 him, G2504 even myself, G1715 before G3588 G3962 my father, G1473 G3588 the one G1722 in G3772 the heavens.
If anyone should deny, disavow, or reject being in Jesus before the face of men, Jesus will deny, disavow, or reject, being in us before the face of the Heavenly Father. There is no gray area here. We either confess him or not. Depending on what we do, Jesus will act accordingly.
Now let’s back up one more paragraph. Jesus has just sent out the twelve and gave directions to them as to how to preach the kingdom of heaven to the lost sheep. Jesus told them that persecutions would come and that brothers will deliver brothers to death and children will deliver parents to death. He told them that they would be hated by all and that when they are persecuted in one city, go to another city as they would not finish preaching in the cities until the Son of Man shall come. We are still here, in this time period. Keep preaching until the Son of Man comes.
What was the so called hateful message that Jesus was sharing and telling the disciples to share? The kingdom of heaven is near. Gee, what a scary message. Certainly there must be more to that message. There is. Jesus healed people. He told his disciples to heal people. Wow, we wouldn’t want anyone healed. So this is the hateful message that the principalities and powers do not want anyone to hear. They cannot allow manfaced to be healed and know that there is a Messiah. Therefore they will push their human followers to attack the messengers of the good news. This seems most ridiculous. Any rational and logical human can see that if one does not like the message, that one can simply choose not to believe it. This good news is not forced on anyone. If one does not like it they can walk away. There is no requirement in our societies to believe that the kingdom of heaven is near. No one has to show their “allegiance card” to buy food, or sell products. No one is whipped and imprisoned for not believing the kingdom of heaven is near. There seems to be a lot of hyper-emotionalism surrounding this good news. Who would inspire that?
Going backwards once again, we see Jesus explaining to the disciples that they will be treated the way he is treated.
Matthew 10:24 G3756 [3not G1510.2.3 2is G3101 1A disciple] G5228 above G3588 the G1320 teacher, G3761 nor G1401 a servant G5228 above G3588 G2962 his master. G1473
Matthew 10:25 G713 Sufficient G3588 to the G3101 disciple G2443 that G1096 he should become G5613 as G3588 G1320 his teacher, G1473 G2532 and G3588 the G1401 servant G5613 as G3588 G2962 his master. G1473 G1487 If G3588 [3the G3617 4master of the house G* 2Beelzebub G600.2 1they invoked], G4214 how much G3123 more G3588 the ones G3615 of his house?
Those who follow Jesus will be treated like Jesus. They will be called names, they will be persecuted, and they will be hated. Now think back to what Jesus said in verse 34, he did not come to throw peace but to throw a sword. What sword? The rhēma of the Elohim.
Matthew 10:26 G3361 You should not G3767 then G5399 fear G1473 them; G3762 for nothing G1063 G1510.2.3 is G2572 being covered, G3739 which G3756 shall not G601 be uncovered; G2532 and G2927 hidden, G3739 which G3756 shall not G1097 be known.
There is nothing covered or hidden. The word here is kaluptō from kleptō “to steal” and kruptō “conceal”. To understand this we see it is a stealing and concealing. A kleptomaniac steals and then hides what was stolen. There is nothing that was stolen and hidden that will not be apokaluptō “uncovered or revealed”. There is nothing kruptos, secretly hidden that will not be ginōskō, known, or understood.
What has been hidden from us? The Angels’ sin. The war in the heavens. The attempted overthrow of Jesus’ creation. The hatred of anyone who loves the Creator by the fallen spiritual beings in the heavens. The redemption of those who love Yahweh Jesus Messiah.
What will be revealed? The Angels’ sin. The war in the heavens. The attempted overthrow of Jesus’ creation. The hatred from the fallen sons of God toward anyone who loves the Creator”. The redemption of the redeemed on the Day of Redemption.
What will be known and understood? The Angels’ sin, their fall. The reason for the war in the heavens. The attempted overthrow of Jesus’ creation. The reason for the hatred of manfaced who love the creator, who have Christ in them and the Holy Spirit indwelling them. The redeemed entering the kingdom of heaven on the Day of Redemption.
These things may have been stolen and hidden from manfaced, but not only will they be revealed, they will be known and understood. Being revealed or uncovered means that we see it, but being known and understood means we receive the explanation and the cause. There is a reason we have a Bible and a knife, our map and our machete.
The angel told Daniel as recorded in Daniel 12 that the knowledge will increase. After the dispersion of Israel there will be a time period that is a benchmark where the Messiah will complete that dispensation. The time of the dispersion was completed with the Messiahs’ death and resurrection. Now we live in the time of the fulfillment and the knowledge increasing. What knowledge? The knowledge of the tribulation. David and Asaph wrote Psalms into the fulfillment, telos, meaning “end times”. The psalms were written for us through to the end of the entire age. The angel said to Daniel the words that he was being told were for the sunteleia, the very end, or the end of the end times. After Jesus rose up we entered into the end times, but now we are nearing the end of the end times. It is nearly two thousand years since Jesus walked the earth, we are at the end of the end times. Check the map. The secret sins of the sons of the Elohim are not only being revealed, but are being understood, albeit, only by fractions of perceptions.
https://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-elect-coming-of-jesus-with-his.html
https://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2018/03/under-altar-fifth-seal-end-of.html
Matthew 10:27 G3739 What G3004 I say G1473 to you G1722 in G3588 the G4653 darkness, G2036 you speak G1722 in G3588 the G5457 light! G2532 and G3739 what G1519 in G3588 the G3775 ear G191 you hear, G2784 proclaim G1909 upon G3588 the G1430 roofs!
Whatever Jesus says in the darkness speak in the light. Jesus speaks and then we speak. Whatever we hear we are to preach on the housetops. This will certainly get us hated and persecuted because there are spiritual beings and the people they control who do not want the truth spoken. They will do anything to stop the truth from being spoken. Now Jesus goes further.
Here is your sword of the Spirit. The machaira pneuma is the rhēma of the Elohim. Whatever he speaks to you in the dark or in the secret places, speak into the light, it is your knife. Jesus threw you a knife for a reason. Confession is a knife. Preaching the kingdom of heaven is a knife. Healing people is a knife. Use the map and the machete together.
Matthew 10:28 G2532 And G3361 fear not G5399 G575 of G3588 the ones G615 killing G3588 the G4983 body, G3588 [5the G1161 1but G5590 6soul G3361 2not G1410 3being able G615 4to kill]! G5399 But you fear G1161 G3123 rather G3588 the one G1410 being able G2532 both G5590 the soul G2532 and G4983 body G622 to destroy G1722 in G1067 Gehenna!
Jesus tells us not to fear. We are not to fear the death of the flesh because no one can kill the soul. Instead we should fear whoever has the supernatural power to destroy both the soul and body in Gehenna. Think this through. Even if Satanas or Dracōn could kill the flesh neither could kill the soul. Nor could either destroy both flesh and soul in Gehenna. Neither Satanas or Dracōn has the power to send anyone to Gehenna or anywhere else. Jesus has the keys to hades and death, and some people will go to Gehenna as Jesus told us. But no one else has the power to do that, apart from Jesus the Messiah or the Heavenly Father.
Matthew 10:29 G3780 Are not G1417 two G4765 sparrows G787 [2an assarion G4453 1sold for]? G2532 and G1520 one G1537 of G1473 them G3756 shall not G4098 fall G1909 upon G3588 the G1093 earth G427 without G3588 G3962 your father. G1473
No one falls, not even a little bird, where the Heavenly Father doesn’t know. We are known. We are well known. Every hair on our head is numbered.
Years ago the stories of persecution coming out of North Korea were horrific. One such account of killing several people, including children, occurred in the mid 1990’s. A family had been living and hiding in an old abandoned farmhouse, in an underground root cellar. There were three families. When the government decided to build a road through the farmhouse they started to tear down the house and found the people in the root cellar. They lined up the adults together and the children together. The military police took a compactor and rolled over the adults and then the children. Just before the adults were murdered, they said to their children, “we will see you in a few minutes”.
The story expresses the deep convictions of believers in Christ. What can any human do to us? Send us to Jesus faster than we thought? How is that a detriment? It’s not like Jesus doesn’t know. If we lack the faith to have this type of conviction there is only one way to acquire it. We have to pursue a continued relationship with Jesus Messiah. We have to read the map, use the knife, and walk towards Jesus. Confess Jesus with the mouth before men, even if men threaten our very lives. That is taking up our cross, our own cross. Then we follow behind Jesus. Jesus didn’t come to throw peace. We should not expect that there will be peace on the earth until the millennial kingdom. Meanwhile we have a map and a machete to help us along the way.
