Beware, Be Ready Of The Coming Persecution

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘<Jesus said, beginning the Sermon on the Mount,>“(3) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  (7) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (10) Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (11)  Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. (12) Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’ (Matthew 5:3-12)

These are the Beatitudes, a series of Blessings Jesus gave to those who follow Him sincerely and try their best to live their lives in Faithful Servitude to the Gospel message.  I couldn’t help but think of these last night as the reports came in of the attempted takeover of Syria by rebels, with reports of the current Syrian dictator (and his family) possibly fleeing to Russia. Though a dictator who allows Hezbollah to operate in his country, the Syrian president allows the open worship of Christians and provides protections for them to do so. It is likely the rebels, Islamic fundamentalists tied to the remnants of ISIS and Al-Qaida, will persecute these Christians should they take over.

We as Americans, even our most poor, rarely experience the suffering and persecution the people there (and in other places around the world) have experienced.  For us Americans, it’s a tragedy of immense magnitude when we open our fridge and find we’re out of milk or eggs; many people elsewhere in the world feel blessed if they only need to walk a mile or so to get potable water. 

We think we worship deeply by going to church on Sunday for couple of hours (as we should but in proper perspective that we should worship more often than just on Sundays to worship the Lord properly), while others find it uplifting if they can go meet for a couple of minutes behind a wall or in the middle of a field with another believer just to share a Scripture or word of encouragement.  The Beatitudes are for those are in persecution, who are being opposed for their Faith in Christ.

Persecution of Christians is common to most of the world’s population, and it is coming to America – and it some places it’s already here.  Freedom of opinion and expression are being suppressed already, though some of the censorship is thawing; the US Department of Homeland Security in the past stated showing Christian Faith is a ‘terroristic activity indicator’.  

According to this, my own country, that I’ve served honorably for my adult life in both military and civilian service, believes me to be a terrorist, a Deplorable Neanderthal who is garbage – by the words of the current president and previous presidential candidates; simply because I believe, and say so out loud, there are efforts to suppress American freedoms.  I also state in fact there are only 2 genders, and ‘Climate Change’ is not anthropologic. In Post-Constitutional America, having these opinions, at least during the last four years, could not be discussed for civil debate in public but instead must be squashed as ‘wrong-think’, even if there is some legitimacy found in them.

We go to church freely and worship openly here in southwest Florida – for now.  In other parts of our nation, though, this is not true. ANTIFA routinely shuts down Christian rallies and interferes with church services in Portland, Oregon, for example.  What will happen when (not if) the government deems Christian worship as ‘wrong-think’?  What will you do if ANTIFA or some other organization comes to shut down or disrupts the activities of our churches here? 

We are not as far off as you may think we are with respect to the Syrian Christians; may the Lord bless us with the fortitude and strength to continue worshipping Him even when it is deemed ‘wrong’ to do so.  May our Lord have Mercy on all of us Christians.