Matthew chapter 10 we see Jesus giving instructions to his disciples so that they would be able to minister and do the will of the Father apart from Jesus’ physical presence, not unlike we do today.
Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
(Mat 10:7-8 NLT)
He also instructs them to not be concerned for their own needs because their Heavenly Father would care for them through the very people they ministered to. This scripture is evidence that the church is to support the physical needs of it’s pastor and appointed leaders as they address the spiritual needs of the church. Not only that but evangelists who go from town to town their physical needs are also to be met as they care for the spiritual needs of the people but it has yet a third meaning… those who belong to God, who put God’s purpose ahead of their own desires will be cared for regardless of the actions of the people they come in contact with and if they were not cared for they were to move to the next town.
"Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town. When you enter the home, give it your blessing. If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing. If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day.
(Mat 10:11-15 NLT)
Everything up until this point sounds really good and makes you glad to be part of God’s team. You have studied the things of God, you know His presence, you hear His voice, His call, and you allow Him to lead you and in turn He promises to take care of your needs as you serve His purpose and love those you come in contact with but at verse 16 something changes.
"Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are My followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about Me. When you are arrested, don't worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. "A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate you because you are My followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.
(Mat 10:16-22 NLT)
We are told by the One we trust that the same things He has gone through we will experience as well but even then, though our physical needs may not be met, He will remain a comfort to our spirit and as He leads us even through the worst of times we will be His witnesses and His wrath will follow so that even the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah would be better. As I look around America I do not see the persecution Jesus told His disciples about, I see pieces of it from other countries but not here, not now but it has begun and a time is coming when all of God’s children will experience this level of persecution. I believe what I just finished reading in Revelation about the Great Tribulation will be that time and we are drawing closer with each passing day. No longer will we hear about Christians dying for their faith in other countries but instead we will see it in our own towns and streets. What Jesus told His disciples was not just their future but the future of a whole generation of believers. It is a popular belief that God will rescue His people from such times but the Bible does not say that. We will be saved from God’s wrath, yes for the Great Tribulation will be divided up into sections, of which the end will come with God pouring out His wrath, which His people will not go through but there are many terrible things that happen prior to that from which we have not been promised to be spared, in fact just the opposite and in this way what Jesus told His disciples in Matthew chapter 10 will be made clear that the student is not greater than the Master, if He went through it so must we. If we are to experience His glory we must first experience His persecution.
"Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of My household will be called by even worse names! "But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear! "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
(Mat 10:24-28 NLT)
To say Jesus’ words that day were only for the ones who were in the room is short-sighted and blissfully ignorant. How many times did Jesus’ words have more than one meaning? When He spoke about destroying the temple and it would be rebuilt in three days was He talking about the structure they saw in front of them or did he speak of something else? How many times did He bypass the question of the Pharisees to speak to the heart of the matter causing the one asking and those surrounding to probe their own intentions when their plan was to catch Jesus in a trap? Every word that came out of Jesus’ mouth was and is life and being such not only has meaning for those who were physically with Him but for future generations. I am convinced when the things of Revelation begin, when the plagues are released on the earth and people begin to worship the beast and his statue and they take his seal upon their foreheads and hands God’s people will still be present on the earth. In this way all His people will know the persecution their Teacher knew and it will not be isolated cases as it is today, yes even America will fall and no longer will she be known for her freedom, God’s grace will be removed and the enemy will be allowed to conduct business in such a way that those who don’t know better will be deceived and will be haters of God and His people and the wedding invitation that was once opened will then be closed. This will be allowed for a short time and then God’s wrath will be poured out on the earth but before it is Jesus’ will come to get His bride and those that remain will be removed from what the earth is about to experience.
Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)
(Rev 20:4-5 NLT)
