A study on Persecution.

The kingdom of Satan uses persecution as a tool to establish conformity and to enforce compliance to that desired conformity. What most people do not realize is that the principles of the kingdom of Satan are also the principles that govern this worldly system. It is the Godly principles that are the intruders, hence the worlds resistance to it. Satans principles and philosophies revolve around self and the betterment of self for the benefit of self, while Gods principles revolve around God with self in submission to God and with a responsibility to the preservation and serving of the rest of creation around us. Obviously there is not going to be much reconciliation between the two governing systems. One strives for dominance while the other strives for value in service.

In support of that statement please consider the following passage;

Luk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Now the temptation was all the kingdoms of this world. The Devil did in fact own all those nations, this was not under dispute. His absolute dominance only came under question after the crucifixion when this world was redeemed back to God. The currency for the purchase being in the form of the blood of Jesus. Now humanity has been given free will to choose. Continue with the kingdom of Satan or submit to Christ and God so as to renounce citizenship in the kingdom of Satan and embrace a position in the kingdom of Christ. From Satans perspective that means the saints are no longer considered “one of us” and there fore subject to open season for persecution.

At this moment in time Satan is still running the worlds institutions and will continue to do so until Christ returns at the battle of Armageddon so as to depose Satans kingdom and set up his own that replaces all before. Hence the reason for the persecution against any that would turn to Christ for the acceptance of their redemption. The tools of persecution have been in place right from the start which is why the kingdom of Satan managed to rise to prominence despite the fact that people originally knew all about God.

Those that descended from the family of Noah knew all about God but the later generations also learnt to fear what would happen to them if they displeased the demon gods that asserted themselves over human societies through intimidation and fear. Now days the redeemed saints have authority over these demons through the name of Jesus, hence all the old temples dedicated to those demon gods now lie in ruins as relics of the past, but the demons themselves are still here. Jesus himself did tell us what Satan used to retain control in this passage.

Luk 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Luk 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
Luk 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Here Jesus pointed out that the kingdom of God and mammon are polar opposites. You cannot serve both or receive the benefits of both at the same time. There is no real compromise possible. You have to make a choice between the two. Mammon is not just money but the prestige and wealth and power associated with it. It is a tool used to build up self. Hence those that serve Satan in the form of the worldly philosophy and wisdom, get plenty of mammon while the saints get stripped of it if they serve God with any integrity. Even Jesus was subjected to this dilemma as can be seen from the following verses;

Mat 8:19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Now Jesus may have healed the sick, raised the dead, calmed the storm and cast out demons but he was also homeless. He may have taught in the temple by day but by night he had no home of his own to go to. In fact he often spent the night on the mount of Olives under the stars which is where he was arrested at his betrayal. His disciples did not get it any better either as can be seen from their own testimonies.

2Co 1:7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
2Co 1:8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
2Co 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
2Co 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

This is also how they saw themselves. It was brutal ! But there are many saints that have experienced this for them selves.

1Co 4:9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
1Co 4:10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
1Co 4:11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
1Co 4:12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
1Co 4:13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
1Co 4:14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.

John the Baptist foresaw this and warned us that Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The Holy Spirit gives us the blessings of God but the “and fire” part is the worlds persecution to try and break us.

Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Jesus knew that we were going to get the brunt of it as well so he forewarned us.

Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Because Christianity has been the dominant religion in the west for so long, the saints have slumbered and lost much ground to the kingdom of Satan. The result is going to be the stepping up of persecution with the intent to remove even the memory of Christ from the minds of men. Obviously that will not happen but the attempt will be made. The time is now to take your stand and understand where all the hatred is coming from and why.