RELIGIOUS PERSECUTIONS
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." Matthew 7:21. What is the will of God the Father? Do we know what the will of God the Father is? The will of God the Father is not necessarily the same as the will of Jesus. That’s why Jesus said, “but he who does the will of My Father in heaven”. Only he who does the will of God the Father shall enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said. Are we clear on that point? Now, what is the will of God the Father? Don't ask your preacher. Don’t look for the answer on the Internet. Why? Because they will all lie to you. They will use their mastery of the English words to persuade you to believe in garbage. So how do we know what the will of God the Father is? Jesus said to them, "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” Matthew 7:23. Practicing lawlessness is NOT the will of God the Father. If we are lawbreakers, if we do not keep the Laws that God the Father gave us, if we are living in sin, we are practicing lawlessness. If we are practicing lawlessness we are not doing the will of God the Father. And if we are not doing the will of God the Father Jesus said we will go to hell. So, if one Sunday morning you hear your pastor say that the Ten Commandments are dead, it's time for you to leave the church immediately and go the nearest lake, fishing. Are we keeping the Ten Commandments? Are we keeping His commandments? Are we doing the will of God the Father?
Jesus also said, "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22.
Why would the world hate us because of Jesus? Because they don’t know who Jesus is. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.” John 15:21.
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” John 15:18.
"And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” Matthew 24:20. Jesus said that we should pray that our flight be not in the winter or on the Sabbath. Who are we running from? Sabbath is a holy day for Sabbath keepers. And running for our lives during the winter, at any age, is risky.
Readers, where do you think the “world” is? The world is where we now live. If we live in California, the world is in California. If we live in New York, the world is in New York and not Jakarta. The world is wherever we live now.
“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.” John 15:21. Jesus said that the world will hate us because of Jesus, because they do not know the One who sent Jesus. It was God the Father who sent Jesus to us to do His work. It was God the Father who sent Jesus to us to tell us to do the will of God the Father. After Jesus came and died on the cross, do we know what the will of God the Father is? No, we still don’t know. Why?
Because we hate the Ten Commandments. When Jesus returns the trial period or opportunity for us to do His will, the Ten Commandments, is over. Now comes regret time.
"Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:30.
Readers, when Jesus returns it is graduation time. Those of us who do the will of God the Father will live with Jesus, forever. Those of us who refuse to do the will of God the Father will be lost, forever! No graduation celebration.
Revelation 20:7-10 says, “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number [is] as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet [are]. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Millions of people, as the sand of the sea, who refused to do the will of God the Father were extremely disappointed!
I believe that the “battle” described in Revelation will be between those who do the will of God the Father and those who refuse to do the will of God the Father, wherever they may live.
My final reminder to all of my readers is this, do not forget what Jesus said, "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.” Matthew 10:28.
Why? Because the soul is resistant to death. It takes a long time to kill a soul. In the meantime the soul will suffer torture, day and night.
Readers, we’ll meet each other when Jesus returns. God bless us all!