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Luke 22:35-38 Living Bible {Paraphrased}
35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you were without money, duffle bag, or extra clothing, how did you get along?” “Fine,” they replied. 36 “But now,” He said, “take a duffle bag if you have one and your money. And if you don’t have a sword, better sell your clothes and buy one! 37 For the time has come for this prophecy about Me to come true: ‘He will be condemned as a criminal!’ (Isa. 53:12) Yes, everything written about Me by the prophets will come true.” 38 “Master,” they replied, “we have two swords among us.” “Enough!” He said.
To Haters of God's Church
I want to write this message to you for the Lord because He said to write this message today to those who are prejudiced against Christians, and also to those Christians who are unlearned about Christian self-defense. Amen.
This message is from the Lord to people who think that Christians are not supposed to fight or defend themselves against initiatory force. Initiatory force simply means those who start fights. Most people think that when people start trouble with Christians, that they're supposed to let the attackers beat or kill them. They believe this because the Bible says that this is what Jesus did according to (Isa. 53:6-9/ Mt. 26:59-63; 27:11-14/ Mk. 15:1-5/ 1 Pt. 2:21-23). Suffering as a Christian is different than someone trying to kill you. According to Jesus, if someone initiates force on you, it's up to you to let them kill you, or, to get up and fight for your life.
Put Your Bible Down and Fight for Your Life
Allow me to illustrate what was happening in Luke 22:35-38 pasted above. Combine that passage about Christ's arrest with these two other passages on Christ's arrest: Mt. 26:51-54 and Jn. 18:1-11. What we see here in these combined passages is Jesus saving His disciples from the same fate as His. Jesus was born to die for man's sins (Heb. 2:9-14; chs. 9, 10). Jesus was telling His disciples that the people coming to arrest and kill Him, were going to arrest and kill them too. But that His disciples needed to stay alive and start the New Testament church for Him. So, Jesus was telling His disciples to let Him go and die, but to buy swords, not to fight to save Him from death, but to save themselves from death.
But Peter didn't understand that Jesus came to die for mankind's sins and to establish His Kingdom through His death, and not through fighting the Roman Empire. This is why Peter cut off the High Priest's servant's ear (Lk. 22:49-51). He was fighting to save Jesus's life instead of his own. This is also why Satan asked to sift Peter like wheat cos that was Satan using Peter to fight for Jesus' life (Lk. 22:31-34). This is also why Jesus told Peter to put away his sword and healed the High Priest's servant's ear.
In Jn. 18:35-37, Jesus told Pilate that if His Kingdom were of this world, that His disciples would fight them to save Him from death. But instead, Jesus came to die for mankind's sins to establish His eternal Kingdom. But Peter didn't understand that Jesus came to die, not to fight, because Peter wanted to fight like a man. Peter was being used by Satan in his misunderstanding and ignorance to attack Jesus because he, like Satan, had the same motive. They savored the things of men and not of God (Mk. 8:31-33).
When Peter denied Jesus, he was afraid to suffer the same things that he saw that Jesus did. Jesus was beat to a bloody pulp. But before this, Peter told Jesus that he would die with Him. Jesus rebuked Peter and said that before the rooster crows twice at sunrise, that Peter would deny three times that he knew Jesus. Peter broke it down because he was scared to die with Jesus.
First, Peter was sitting there acting all bad with Jesus at the Last Supper. But when he saw what happened to Jesus, he got scared to die with Him and denied Him instead. What Jesus was telling Peter by His actions was this, "You cannot drink of this cup of suffering". That's what Peter understood. Actions speak louder than words. Peter went back on his words to Jesus that he would go and die with Him, and wasn't willing to die with Jesus when he saw the real danger & death that Jesus suffered. He got scared to die and ran back with his tail between his legs. He said, "I don't know this man" (Lk. 22:54-62).
But God put Peter in check because Satan was using Peter. This is what the Bible says. Peter didn't understand that Jesus needed to die for the human race. He kept thinking that Jesus came to fight the Roman Empire. That, this was God's Son and He's stronger than them and He can kill them all, and that's what He's going to do to give Israel back its kingship over earth. But the Lord Jesus came to die.
Jesus showed Peter that he was a man. That only the Son of God can take this suffering. That was the difference between Him and mankind. Jesus said, "I will not allow this church to be killed". Mankind's response was, "We will not let you die so we can be the church". Peter almost died when he cut off that man's ear. That's why he was scared. He saw how strong the Roman guards were. They were stronger than him and his men. Peter started giving them money because he understood their fear. So, Satan was using Peter because he misunderstood. Satan and Peter got puffed up with pride and said, "I'll die with you, Lord". But Jesus corrected and told him, "You think you're bad now, before the sun rises you're going to deny Me three times. Let's see how bad you are when you see what the Son of God has to suffer".
Peter broke it down. He couldn't take what he saw. He saw Jesus get stabbed. That's what scared him. Peter didn't want to lose his body or his life for those reasons. Those reasons that Jesus came to die. Peter was a man that's why he got scared. Jesus was the Son of God. That's why He took and drank that Cup of Suffering.
So, don't boast around God or He's going to show you to be a chicken. Just do what He says. When He says that it's time for war and not for preaching and to sell your preaching tools to buy weapons to defend your life, do it, because His Word is the only way that He helps us.
So, In Jn. 18:1-11, Jesus used His supernatural power to save His disciples from being killed with Him. In verses 4-8, Jesus walked up to the Roman Centurions and tells them who He is. It was a fight with the powers of darkness (Lk. 22:53). Jesus made the first move to save His disciples from being arrested and killed with Him by doing this, cos in verse 8 He tells them to let the disciples go and to arrest only Him after He knocked them down with His supernatural power.
In John 10:17, 18, Jesus said that He laid His life down of Himself. No one took His life from Him that day. In Mt. 26:51-54, Jesus told Peter that if He wanted to fight to establish His Kingdom, that He could call more than twelve legions of Angels to destroy the Roman Empire, lol. Jesus also had that supernatural power that He used to knock the Roman Centurions down with. Jesus used His power not to fight for His life. But to fight for the disciple's lives. This was God's will. The disciples were supposed to fight to save their own lives, not the Lord's. That's why Satan asked the Lord for Peter. Satan wanted to sift Peter's mind into a nut cos Peter didn't understand that he needed to fight to save his own life, not the Lord's. For, it was time for the Lord Jesus to die for mankind. If Jesus wanted to fight mankind and the powers of darkness, He could have used this supernatural Holy Ghost Anointing power to destroy mankind with more than twelve legions of Angels helping Him kill off the human race. But He didn't come to fight mankind. He came to die for mankind, and no one took Jesus' life. He laid it down of Himself to save mankind from sin and death.
My point is Lk. 22:36. Jesus tells His disciples to sell their preaching equipment (put your Bible down) and to buy swords to save themselves from those coming to arrest Him and kill Him. Do you see that God is telling us in this passage to use swords, or, weapons, to protect ourselves from people who want to kill us? Put your Bible down and fight for your life cos you got something to do for God, or, Jesus, in Church. But some people think that Christians are supposed to let people kill them like they did Jesus. But what did Jesus say in Lk. 22:36? Put your Bible down and use a weapon to fight for your life. Use weapons to stop people from killing you. This means to PROTECT yourself from people who want to kill you. Christian self-defense. God gave us a sword in Lk. 22:36. It is the Lord Jesus's Sword of self-Defense for the New Testament Church.
So, you don't have to be martyred for Jesus. You can fight to save your life. It's up to you, as I said earlier in this blog. According to Jesus, if someone initiates force on you, it's up to you to let them kill you, or, to get up and fight for your life.
What I'm talking about, is Heb. 11:35.
"...and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection".
I want you to note the words of implying the choice for freewill in that verse where it says, "not accepting deliverance". When these Christians were being tortured, they had opportunities to be delivered from death and to stay alive instead. But they chose not to accept deliverance because they wanted to rise in the Rapture to a better life with Jesus. You don't have to be martyred. It's up to you to not accept deliverance to get to a better life with Jesus, or, to get up and use weapons to fight for your life. That's what I want to say to people attacking Christians and to Christians being attacked. At this time, I personally would use weapons to kill those, if necessary, who initiate force on me. So can you.
1 Peter 2:19-23 New Living Translation
{Paraphrased} 19 For God is pleased when, conscious of His will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. 20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. 21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ died for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. 22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone (Isa. 53:9). 23 He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
Never let people use Bible passages like this to make you listen to them and let them kill you. People will use this passage to say that you have to let people torture and kill you just like they did to Jesus. This passage isn't telling us to let people kill us. It's talking about Christian suffering not Christian death. This scripture passage shows us how to deal with people who mistreat us for doing right and when you've done nothing wrong to them to be mistreated for. Jesus is the example to follow in this type of suffering. But it's not talking about being killed, or, martyred, as a Christian. According to the Lord Jesus, it's up to you to live or die.
To Crooked Cops
Romans 13:1-4 Living Bible 1 Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. 2 So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. 3 For the policeman does not frighten people who are doing right; but those doing evil will always fear him. So if you don’t want to be afraid, keep the laws and you will get along well. 4 The policeman is sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for he will have you punished. He is sent by God for that very purpose.
I got a message from Jesus to crooked cops who mistreat Christians. According to Rom. 13:1-4, God has ordained civil authority and the cop's job is help those who obey the law, and to punish those who break it. But there are crooked cops who punish those who obey the law.
For example, the cops who beat Jesus. Jesus (God) has a message to crooked cops who use police brutality on law abiding Christians in the following passage:
John 18:19-23 Authorized (King James) Version 19 The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. 21 Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. 22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? 23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?
And so, here is the message from the Lord Jesus to the crooked cop who beats Christians:
If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?
In the Living Bible is another English translation:
“If I lied, prove it,” Jesus replied. “Should you hit a man for telling the truth?”
To the Crooked Cop
God gave you a job to arrest those who break the law and to help those who obey the law. But now you are arresting those who obey the law and killing those who believe in Jesus. You are not from God and you are crooked because you are not obeying Romans 13.
About Muslims, the Lord gave me a message about them from the Bible during a study that I want to share with you here.
Psychological Warfare
In War Everybody Thinks They're Right
Mark 14:60-65 Living Bible
{Paraphrased}
60 Then the high priest stood up before the Court and asked Jesus, “Do you refuse to answer this charge? What do you have to say for yourself?” 61 To this Jesus made no reply. Then the high priest asked him. “Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?” 62 Jesus said, “I am, and you will see me the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, and returning to earth in the clouds of heaven.” 63-64 Then the high priest tore at his clothes and said, “What more do we need? Why wait for witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” And the vote for the death sentence was unanimous. 65 Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and began to hammer his face with their fists. “Who hit you that time, you prophet?” they jeered. And even the bailiffs were using their fists on him as they led him away.
According to this passage, the mind of the Muslim is revealed. The Jews thought that they were right for killing Jesus. You can detect this in their words and actions towards Christ. They spit on Jesus, hit Him and mocked Him because they believe that they're right about the Bible. They believe that the Messiah has not yet come to earth. Today, they are still waiting for the Messiah to come.
They also believed that death was right for blasphemy against God and they believed that Jesus was blaspheming when Jesus told them that He is the Messiah. The Jews thought that they were right for killing Jesus.
The Jews today are still waiting for the prophesied Messiah to come. They didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah. This is why they killed Him. The Muslims today attack Christians who say that Jesus is God because they don't believe that the Messiah has come to earth yet. They are still waiting for Him to come. Everybody thinks they're right. But of course, we Christians know from the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:7-15) that Jesus was telling the truth about who He is when He came to die for us. That He is the Messiah about to return to earth.
Matthew 26:31 Living Bible 31 Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight you will all desert me. For it is written in the Scriptures (Zec. 13:7) that God will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.
According to Romans 11, God is the one who did this to Jesus. God made the Jews and the Romans believe that He is not the Messiah. He did this to use the Jews and the Romans to crucify His Son Jesus for our sins. Romans 11 says that God blinded the eyes of Israel and made their ears deaf so that they would fall from Him. But their fall from believing that Jesus is the Messiah today is the salvation of the Gentiles. God did this to Israel to provoke them to jealousy so that they would repent and return to God.
Romans 11 Authorized (King James) Version
{Paraphrased} 1 I say then, Hath God cast away His people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3 Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, and digged down Thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life (1 Kgs 9:10, 14). 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal (1 Kgs. 19:18). 5 Even so then at this present time also there is for a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 8 (according as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear Isa. 29:10/ Dt. 29:4;) unto this day. 9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 10 let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway (Ps. 69:22, 23). 11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14 if by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. 15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? 16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins (Isa. 59:20, 21; 27:9). 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31 even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? (Isa. 40:13) 35 Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto Him again? (Job 41:11) 36 For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Check out another hit movie from actor Jim Caviezel, the actor who played Jesus in the movie "The Passion of the Christ", called "Infidel". It's about Christian suffering coming from the Muslims.
"Infidel" (2020 - Jim Caviezel)