The Book of First Peter, Chapter 1

A Living Hope and a Sure Salvation,

Peter gives instructions on holy living for those suffering persecution, and teaches that God can use difficulties to strengthen Christians and their witness. Knowing this can bring hope. The Book of First Peter helps us discover how faith, refined by suffering, can help us see the Lord more clearly. It gives valuable advice for holding firm in difficult times. The apostle Peter saw that increasing hardship and persecution had scattered believers, which spread their witness but caused some to wonder if God had abandoned them. Peter wrote to encourage them, offering them hope and meaning in the midst of their suffering.

We are perhaps better able to see, as time has passed, that the coming persecution (the fifth tribulation seal of birth pains) which Jesus warned about before His ascension, was already coming upon the Church.

First Peter provides us, The Christian, with a paradigm that we of the twenty-first century seldom take seriously. Peter describes Christians as “resident strangers, foreigner and sojourners”, scattered about the major population centers of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, which were the established Jewish communities and growing Gentile churches. These represent the “diaspora”. Peter calls them “elect exiles” or “strangers scattered” from the Greek word diaspora, which echoes Jewish dispersion language. (Some recipients were likely Jewish Christians dispersed outside Israel. Many were Gentile believers who now shared in Israel’s spiritual identity (1 Peter 2:9–10)). This is a description that we twenty-first century Christians should understand and embrace.

These provinces were firmly under Roman governance. Christians there were:

• Socially marginalized
• Viewed with suspicion
• Facing increasing hostility

Peter’s letter prepares them for suffering (1 Peter 4:12–16). The mention of these provinces situates the letter in a real political and cultural environment where loyalty to Christ conflicted with loyalty to Caesar. And it is not just reasonable, but is justifiable that current day Christian should assume the same mindset and posture in our political and cultural environs.

By naming a broad arc of territories, Peter emphasizes:

• Believers are scattered but united.
• They are temporary residents in earthly regions.
• Their true citizenship is heavenly (1 Peter 1:3–5).

The same is true today. A geographic spread mirrors the spiritual theme: “God’s chosen people are dispersed in the world but belong to another kingdom”.

The big picture significance is that the regions of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia highlight:

1. The wide expansion of Christianity.
2. The fulfillment of the Great Commission beyond Israel.
3. The reality of suffering among dispersed believers.
4. The identity of Christians as elect exiles awaiting future glory.

Now I encourage you to pray and prepare your heart and mind as we enter an emotionally charged, a theologically packed and a spiritually challenging word – and you will be challenged.

A Living Hope and a Sure Salvation

1 Peter 1:1, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as strangers, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen (elect), verse 2, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

(Commentary Break): It would be good. First, to define certain words for our understanding and personal application.

(1). “The chosen” or “the Elect” in verse1, aligns with the biblical theme of God’s election and predestination, as seen in Romans 8:29-30. I.e., the Elect being Christians, then, now and of all the ages. (Regardless of how your denomination views this doctrine, you can rest in this assurance).

(2). “According to the foreknowledge”, (from the Greek word, ‘prognōsis’, denoting the prior knowledge and purposeful awareness of God that undergirds His sovereign actions in history. More than mere foresight, it is the personal, relational knowing by which God sets His redemptive plan in motion and lovingly fixes His regard upon His people before their existence in time. Note: God does not need to have a thought or an idea, He is omniscient – all-knowing and He has always existed. There is no beginning and no end with God. It is difficult if not impossible for the human mind to grasp this reality, but that again is the mystery of God. Take great assurance that “He chose (you) in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him”. (Ephesians 1:4).

(3). “…by the sanctifying work of the Spirit”, from the Greek word ‘hagiasmos’, meaning a state of consecration brought about by God that issues in practical holiness of life. It embraces both the decisive setting-apart that occurs at conversion and the ongoing transformation that conforms believers to the image of Christ. Romans 6:19 and Romans 6:22 link

1. 1. 1. sanctification to freedom from sin’s dominion.
      2. Justification declares the believer righteous;
      3. sanctification makes that righteousness visible in conduct,

d, anticipating glorification.

1 Corinthians 1:30 sets sanctification alongside righteousness and redemption, showing that Christ Himself embodies and secures every stage of salvation.

Recap: Peter is telling you that, as a Christian, you are one of God’s Chosen, His Elect, and have been since before the beginning of time. Rejoice. And that it is and always has been the process of sanctifying, preparing you through all circumstances, freeing you from the power and the penalty of sin by the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, calling you and setting you aside for God’s special purpose. You are just and in right standing before God even before your righteousness is visible. All this glorifies God alone – and the benefits are yours! (End Commentary Break).

Verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, verse 4, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, verse 5, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

(Commentary Break): It is by God’s great mercy and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ alone, that we have received this inheritance, a Living Hope. Please take care to note that it is (1), imperishable, (2), undefiled and (3), will never fade away. This is made secure and certain as you and your inheritance are protected by the power of God through a faith which has been given you by Him in these last days.

AN ESCATALOGICAL NOTE: The phrase “the last time” as used in verse five, comes from the two Greek words, ‘eschatos’ for ‘last’, meaning the end of time. and ‘the end of days’; and the Greek word ‘kairos’, meaning a critical moment and an appointed time; i.e., The end of Days, The last Days, The end if this age. We are put on notice that this is indeed the period of the birth pains of the tribulation, which will be followed by the the Great and Terrible Day the Lord also known as the final seven years of the Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb.

Peter is not only preparing us and instructing us he is informing us of the coming Day of the Lord and our need to stay ready, on the alert and sounding the shofar – the alarm – for this weary and waiting world! (End Commentary Break).

Verse 6. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, verse 7, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

(Commentary Break): Rejoicing in fiery trials seems to be counter-intuitive, and indeed it is. That is unless you are aware of the necessity and the purpose of these trials. They are the work of sanctification by the Holy Spirit in your life which gives you freedom from sin’s dominion, leading to a justification which declares you righteous before God; and sanctification makes that your righteousness visible in conduct resulting in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 8, and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, verse 9, obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

(Commentary Break): All this through the work of our God and Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, so we would obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Of course we would believe in Him, rejoicing! (End Commentary Break).

Verse 10. As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, verse 11, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. Verse 12. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

(Commentary Break): “It was revealed to them” – This phrase refers to the prophets of the Old Testament. God disclosed to them insights about the coming Messiah and the salvation He would bring. This revelation was not through human wisdom but divine insight, emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit in imparting knowledge of God’s plans.

“that they were not serving themselves, but you” – The prophets understood that their messages were intended for future generations. Their prophecies were not for their own benefit but for those who would come after, particularly the early Christians. This highlights the continuity of God’s plan across generations and the selfless nature of prophetic ministry.

“when they foretold the things now announced” The prophets spoke of the coming of Christ and the salvation He would bring. These prophecies were fulfilled in the New Testament era, as the apostles and early church leaders proclaimed the gospel. This connection between prophecy and fulfillment underscores the reliability of Scripture! (End Commentary Break).

Verse 13. Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Verse 14. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, verse 15, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; verse 16, because it is written: “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”

(Commentary Break): Peter now calls us to alert. You and I are not wandering wayfarers. We are ambassadors for Christ. We are missionaries – each and every one of us – completing the mission and calling of Christ Jesus. We are agents of the kingdom of God. We are Holy Spirit influencers. We are God’s invading force, recapturing and reclaiming all that is His. He is taking His children back and out of this world of darkness and into His Light. We are told to be sober in spirit with our focus completely on the revelation of Jesus Christ. No looking around; no side glances at the lures of this world. We are to be holy as He is Holy. The war is begun. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 17. If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; verse 18, knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, verse 19, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. Verse 20. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you, verse 21, who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

(Commentary Break): We should pay particular attention to these verses, seventeen through twenty-one. Not only do they articulate God as our Father and our Judge, but causes us to question and to confirm our identity and relationship with Him. And if we are to rightly call ourselves a Christian, a child and son of the Most High God, and are to expect Him to judge us impartially according to our work, we are to conduct ourselves in fear, (from the Greek word phobos) meaning exceeding fear of judgment and reverence toward God during our brief stay on earth; knowing that we are redeemed from sin, darkness an hell by the most precious Blood of Christ Jesus – Who appeared IN THESE LAST (‘eschatos’, the last in place of time) TIMES (‘chronos’, an individual opportunity, a particular period of time) for our sake (see verse 20). (End Commentary Break).

Verse 22. Since you have purified your souls in obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from the heart, verse 23, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. Verse 24. For, “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS,

AND ALL ITS GLORY IS LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS.

THE GRASS WITHERS,

AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,

Verse 25, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.”

And this is the word which was preached to you. (End Chapter One).

We are reminded that as Christians we are resident aliens of earth, citizens of the kingdom of God, here on mission, and that we should behave as such, and we should consider our many trials and suffering as the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Peter also gives us recurring themes that God is the Originator and Giver of life, of our faith, is our redeemer and the author of our salvation, our provider, and our Keeper.

And finally, we must not ignore that Peter clearly states that these are indeed The Last Days (which began at the time of Jesus’ birth) as “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times (i.e., the final days) for the sake of you”. Knowing this reminds us that in the grand scheme, time is short and being about our Father’s Work paramount to our success in His Calling and mission. (How close are we? Please also see The Fifth Tribulation Seal and When Does The Seven Years of Great Tribulation Begin?)

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT: (Coming Soon) THE BOOK OF FIRST Peter, Chapter 2, As Newborn Babes, As Living Stones, Christ is Our Example.

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Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

WARNING – this could be considered controversial.

Perhaps you have read some books on Christianity or read of some people’s testimonies about the benefits and goodness of Christianity. Or maybe you have read some church websites that describe their cultures, goals and offerings. From what I have read, it would seem these would be some of the friendliest, kindest, warmest, happiest, safest, most understanding places on the earth. So why not give it a try?

Typically (which will vary from church to church) you walk into a church and are met by trained greeters at the door. They will seem friendly enough. Then you might even be met by an usher who will help you find a place to sit. At some point during the service, you may be directed by the worship leader or pastor to ‘turn and greet one another’. Then, depending on the denomination and the size of the church, you might be greeted by the pastor or an elder or deacon as you exit the church.

Not all the time, but sometimes this can seem very scripted. Almost like attending a theatre performance or a play.

They were polite, for the most part. But it was like everyone was detached from the present moment and were in a “presentation of another reality”, they were greeting people, but it was just for the program; they may have seemed to be in a hurry so they could move on to the next ‘guest’.

My presence, as a visitor, seemed to make no difference to them after the “job of greeting” was completed. (Even my grocery store will absent-mindedly welcome me. as I walked in. But their intentions were up-front. They wanted to make sure I would make a purchase – help them make a profit. Maybe I should have entered or left the church saying “I plan on giving or I gave to the offering today?”)

On one occasion I ran into some of the greeters from a church I had visited earlier that Sunday at a restaurant. I approached them to say I had enjoyed my visit, only to be met with a distant stare and a nod of approval. “Odd”, I thought.

On a couple of other occasions, I went out of my way to return to a church I had visited to meet the pastor later during the week for a more personal encounter only to be left with a feeling that I might have intruded on his time. (I kept thinking, afterward, that I might have had a friendlier encounter at my local Elks club or at the local bar (although I don’t frequent bars).

During a Wednesday evening service at another church we had been attending, we watched a video on ‘sexuality in the Bible’. Afterward we had a question-and-answer period. A man walked around the auditorium with a microphone allowing those who wanted, to answer questions about experiences of improper responses to sexual situations with Christians and how we handled them. I volunteered to contribute a story. Half was through my story a woman in the back of the church began to shout at me, “you sound like a chauvinist!” She continued to rant stopping me from speaking. I had been at this church less than a year, so I thought it best to go silent. After the class dispersed, many people came to me thanking me for my remarks and lamenting that I could not finish. The woman was not censured – not even spoken to about her ‘lunatic’ behavior. Yep. Just like any old townhall meeting – except we were in church.

Another time during a rather large Sunday School class, I was chatting before class began with a person I was trying to befriend. Suddenly, the ‘teacher’ bellowed across the room at me in an angry tone, “Mike, sit down. I want to get this going”. Both I and my ‘almost friend’ were shocked. This guy is an elder in the church and the teacher – yelling at me to sit down and be quiet? Realizing our shock, he stammered, “he’s a neighbor, so it’s okay”. (Well, we are neighbors, but no, it was not okay).

At another church, (at which I served as an associate pastor) the pastor had been confronted with adultery charges. It had become overwhelmingly plain that there was credibility to the allegations. I asked him privately if a third-party mediator from the district would be a good idea and he shouted at me to mind my own business. Then I suggested a counsellor or a therapist and he suggested I leave the church – which I did, later. (He was eventually found out).

Another time a pastor of another church asked to have lunch. I agreed. He attempted to get me to proselyte members from my current church to his startup church. I refused, whereupon he began to shout at me, accusing me of not being a good person nor of being a good Christian. (Sometimes I think I must have imagined these things. But these are real accounts).

My wife and I had been visiting yet another church for a few Sundays, and at the last minute decided to go to a Wednesday evening service. I did not have time to go home to get my Bible, but went went into this church anyway. As chance would have it, we encountered the pastor in a hallway before the service. I greeted him by saying hello, we are new here. He responded dryly saying “where’s your Bible?” I explained the circumstances and told him we had just moved into the area and told him my vocation. He stared at me and finally replied, “Well, good luck on that”, and walked away.

(These experiences happened at three different Southern Baptist churches, a Nazarene church and a Presbyterian church. I could go on and on, from church to church. But hopefully, you get the idea. We were members of our first church as Christians from 1976 through 1978 during a temporary military assignment in Texas and it was friendly and biblically sound. It was like a big family. Then we became members of a church in Virginia from 1978 through 1987 and it became our family – but things were changing. We moved to a church closer to our home from 1988 through 2005 and it was like a family-business. We relocated to another city and became members of a church – and an associate pastor – from 2005 through 2008, and it had an agenda and a philosophical socio-political worldview. We relocated to Florida and visited a church from 2008 through 2010 and joined as members from 2010 through 2018. We have been at our current church from 2018 to current day).

My experiences and assessment have to be an aberration. Right? I talk to some regular church goers and they say their church isn’t like that. That their church is really, really friendly. (So, I visited some of their churches, and I found them to be polite. I found them to be nice. But no. They weren’t really, really friendly.) So, I am left feeling that maybe it’s just me? I just don’t fit in there…or there…or there? Or am I just complaining? Neither. Or am I just saying aloud, what so many of you have been thinking. But, I am offering a solution – if we are willing.

Many pastors and church leaders will attempt to explain or excuse this behavior saying something like “church is a place for people, and people are sinners (hypocrites, liars, cheaters, etc.) covered by the Blood of Jesus and being sanctified to be like Christ – they are in process”. But many of these folks have been considering themselves as Christians for decades. So how long does this process of “becoming Christlike” take before they stop overt and blatant sinful behavior and actually become “Christlike”? Or is another issue at work here?

Please read this from Galatians 5:16, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Verse 17. For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want. Verse 18. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Verse 19. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, verse 20, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, 21envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, verse 23, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Verse 24. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

I believe many are not taking seriously (or just don’t understand) what it means to walk by the Spirit, so that you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. I believe this behavior in the church is becoming or has become the “new normal” in churches across our nation. It would seem that most of us who go to church have just adjusted to this “new normal” and accept it..

We used to say “my church is my family”. Now it is “this is where I go to church – it is where I attend”. (I attend a church now and as long as I stay quiet and speak when spoken to, we get along just great! You know, friends-at-arms-length).

One of the most foreign and socially inept, dysfunctional, and alienating places I have been in the last 10 or 15 years may be church.

Jesus warned that this day was coming. He said, in Matthew 24:12, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” This verse highlights that during difficult times, especially in the end times, people’s love for one another can diminish due to increasing wickedness and challenges.”

(These examples I have cited are the milder examples. It is getting worse. Much worse. (https://arrestedpastor.com/).

So, let’s move on from this negative approach of “having identified the problem”, and please allow me appeal directly to the Body of Christ – you, the Church, (and yes, I am referring to myself, also):

Having been warned that these things would happen doesnt’ seem to have done much for correcting the problem. But folks, this just ain’t right.

Please read about the CHURCH, according to Strong’s Bible concordance. The term “Church”, comes from the Greek word Ekklesia, and it means “the called; the called-out ones:; these are people called out from the world’s belief systems and to God’s teachings on how to think, act and behave; the outcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom. This is what we, the Body of Christ should begin to focus on and practice until we get it right. Until it becomes not just what we do, but what we believe and are compelled to do by our mind, conscience, will and emotions.

The basics of the Ekklesia is that we, the Church, are called out of this world and no longer part of this world. Please let that sink in. Get the best picture of that in your mind as you are able.

We as Christians, are to be the mystical Body of Christ. We are being made into a peculiar people, made as God’s own possession for His own use.

This is a radical departure or progression from ‘going to church’ to be a better person, to a becoming a peculiarity. We are people who, as Christians, live in this world as resident aliens, foreigners and sojourners, travelers in a foreign nation – we have become citizens of the kingdom of heaven, on mission upon the earth.

Therefore, and thereby, we do not adopt but we must adapt. We do not adopt, copy or resemble this world and its ways but we adapt as we spread the message of the Kingdom of God. (Now, please, stop, and consider how you dress, how you talk, the things you do for entertainment and how you adorn your body. Do you mimic this world’s standards? Please understand that we are not secret agents just fitting in. We are openly and brazenly ambassadors for Christ. This is the litmus test.).

We are not to conform to this world, but we are to have been transformed by the renewing of our minds by the word of God, mirrowing Biblical beliefs and standards, so we may prove what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God to those around us. (This phrase is from Romans 12:2 in the Bible, which encourages individuals not to adopt the behaviors and values of the world around them, but instead to be transformed by renewing their minds to understand God’s will, which is good and perfect. It emphasizes the importance of inner change and spiritual growth).

1 Peter 2:9, from the King James Bible, tells us, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (from the Greek word, ‘peridoiesis’ – a preserving, saving unto the soul, God’s own property or possession, He has obtained); that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”.

1 Peter 2:9, in the New King James Version puts it this way, “you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”.

And, 1 Peter 2:9, from the New American Standard Bible say it thusly: “But you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”.

Also,

Again in

Then

Psalms 135:4. also tells us “For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

Titus 2:14. repeats that, “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

1 Peter 1:1-2., puts it this way, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as strangers, (parepidemos – a resident foreigner, an alien, a pilgrim, stranger) scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen (electos – chosen, elect, favorite).

And Jesus, in John 17:14 makes it clear when He praying to His Father and says, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Verse 15. I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. Verse 16. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Matthew 5:13, reminds us that“You (followers of Christ Jesus) are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.

Verse 14. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; verse 15, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Verse 16. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

We are to be counter-cultural to the world and its systems and beliefs.  We are to be cultural influencers, agents of change.

Like light is to darkness and salt is to infection.

Light shows the way, stays rot and decay, provides safety in travel and reveals that which is unknown.

Salt is essential for maintaining fluid balance in the body, aiding in nerve function and regulating muscle contraction. It also enhances the flavor of food and is used in food preservation. So is the life and teachings of Christ.

We live in the world, but we are not of this world. We walk, we talk, we eat, drink and breathe the air. We are bipedal, we have sight. On first glance, we look like everyone else, but upon closer observation, we are not like everyone else at all. Not even close.

We may be like the sheep being led to slaughter, but do not be deceived – we overcome the evils of this world mightily by the word of our testimony and by the Blood of the Lamb. And in that we have a message of bad news and of Good News.

The bad news is that this world is perishing and even now is in the throws like a mother in birth pains. However, these pains lead to death and destruction, the final judgements of God on a sinful and decadent world, always and only doing evil.

The Good News is that there is a way out of this spiritual anarchism and chaos. A way to be saved from the destruction that is at hand. A way to live now, in peace, love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and with self-control and ultimately in the kingdom of our God, in His presence where there are no more tears, no more sickness or death, no more hatreds. Where there is no need of the light of the moon or the sun because He will be our Light. In the place where the river of life flows freel

He is calling to you, now. He is saying “Come, follow Me. I am the Way the Truth and the Life. I am the Only Way to the Father and to the eternal home I have prepared for you.”

Just saying these things or saying they are so is not enough. We must live in them because we know it is so. People are watching and waiting and God has chosen us to be that peculiar people as a living example of what it means and what it looks like to be one of His Chosen.

For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:  to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like the many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 2:15-17).

Please consider this as an appeal in humility.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young.

Plan, Purpose, Methods and Ways

(Concealed Church Name)

(Concealed City Name)

• Engage, Evangelize, Edify, Equip, and Encourage
• Introduce, inform, instruct, inspire, ignite
• (Reaching the Lost and Making Disciples for Jesus)
• Family, Individual and Youth Discipleship and Development

Objectives: Reach the lost and gather the straying sheep, build up the Body of Christ, His Church.

We are to be built up into the priesthood of believers, commissioned and sent as missionaries and ambassadors of Christ, to

(# 1), the lost, and,

(# 2), the straying sheep of God, and

(# 3), for the building up of the Body of Christ.

(In other words, we need to tell and show the lost and remind the straying sheep of God, the Gospel message in word, by our behavior and deed. Then, to make disciples, teaching and training them to also become missionaries (disciple-makers) for Christ. By this we establish the Church (Ekklesia, the called out ones) within our Church Body.

Jesus taught that “Foxes have holes and Birds of the Air have nests”. He is saying that we are to go out and make disciples. We are not to retreat to the comfort and safety of our ‘fox dens’ or our ‘feathered nests’. He never advocated a stationary and static church, i.e., a “legacy type of church”.

We should be careful to not prematurely integrate people into a static church (a legacy type of church). We should allow people to naturally gravitate into God’s fellowship of believers, but, while that occurs, we must provide fertile soil which comes from the mission Jesus gave the Church, the gamelan of ministry and the cycle of discipleship, i.e., the way Jesus taught and demonstrated.

Everything we do should point to making individuals, families (fathers, mothers and children) integral  participants in Jesus’ Mission, in our local Body.

We must change what ‘coming to church’ or ‘attend church’ means. We come to Church in order to GO OUT from the Church to reach our community and world, and that is how we are to GROW! 

To accomplish this, we probably need to consider reviewing or changing our attitude and paradigm of “coming to church”.

First of all, research shows that people come to church for specific reasons. And becoming an audience or an adherent is not on the list. But, they will leave if thier initial expectations are not met.

Here are the top 10 reasons given by Americans who attend religious services at least once a month, according to Pew. Survey. (For you information, respondents were allowed to give more than one reason.) The percentage refers to people who said this was a “very important” reason for their decision:

1. To become closer to God. (81%)
2. So their children will have a moral foundation. (69%)
3. To become a better person. (68%)
4. For comfort in times of trouble or sorrow. (66%)
5. They find the sermons valuable. (59%)
6. To be part of a faith community. (57%)
7. To continue their family’s religious traditions. (37%)
8. They feel a necessary obligation to go. (31%)
9. To meet new people or socialize. (19%)
10. Because the pastor knows my name. (added by author.)

People need to come to church to meet Jesus; to learn about Him, to come to know Him personally and intimately by the Word of God, and by our living example; they need to  learn how to follow Him – which is both taught and caught, and learn to become fully devoted followers of Jesus. Then, they and we, together, GO and live out our relationship with Him let that be our witness! Go and order to Grow!

(for the full ariticle see Please Don’t Leave).

We need to understand the demographics and discover ways to become more visible and find UNIQUE ways to serve the community – and that boils down to being like Jesus and doing what He did and taught.

GO OUT with activities: Churches tend to hold ‘events’ in order to attract people to Church. So, we invite people to Chruch on a holiday or a speical occasion, maybe once very few months, hoping we will attract some to come back. But unless there is something to keep them coming back, (about 25% will come back a second time if everything goes just right), it’s a one-and-done matter.

It is God who draws people and saves them. We are simply His Hands, Feet and Voice. We go in His Name. But,

#1. We need “Meet them where they live”. We take the Church to them. It can no longer be “Come Grow With Us”. It has to be “Let’s GO and Grow in Christ Together”. Find ways to keep them coming back, every week.

Many church-growth programs actually pander to the community, so they attract those ‘already saved’ who are shopping churches. That is, I believe, why baptisms are so low. We aren’t reaching a lost world, we are reaching a saved and straying world!

We can continue to do what is working. PLUS, here are some EXAMPLES of IDEAS to go OUT and build:

(1). Build a youth soccer program – Soccer wrapped in the Gospel – A uniquely Christian approach – teach and coach joy, to be peacemakers, kind, good, patient, gentle, self-controlled, yet, proficient, competitive, hardworking, reaching for excellence. Imagine the (Concealed Name) Baptist Church Family Youth Soccer Program!

(Just FYI, I have had experience and qualifications as national youth license, 15 + years experience.

Area Demographics known. Here is an examples of another church doing these very things: Shepherds.Org.

(1.a). Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in America! Kids love it, Dads and Moms love it and if you try it, you will love it too! It is a perfect FAMILY activity! Build a Soccer Program wrapped in the Gospel – a uniquely Christian approach to this sport and influence our area for Christ!

This is a kid and family magnet. Imagine, the (Concealed Name) Baptist Church Family Pickleball Club!!

(And by the way, I have been a pickleball club director and I am currently rated as an advanced player and coach)

(1b.) Bible Quzzing is another exciting and fun ways to get our kids and teens into memorizing the Bible. This is an exciting activity with a purpose! You would be greatly suprised how fun this is and how much the kids love it!

Imagine the (Concealed Name) Baptist Church Quiz Team!! (And by the way, my wife has been a Quizzing coach and organizer when our kids were adolescents and teens).

(1c). Offering public neighborhood and citywide conferences on subjects such as

“Is The End Of The World A Possibility?” (Eschatology – End Times),

“Is Peace Possible in this crazy world – And How About Me and My Family?”,

“How Can I Know That God Really Exists – And How Does That Change Things for Me?”

Future planning: There is a plethora of other means and a multitude of ideas, but the main thing is that we build continuity into our Family, Teen and Children’s ministry. Something parents and kids will come back for, week after week, and not just a seasonal or occasional ‘one-and-done’ activity which repeats quarterly or annually.

ALL OF THESE THINGS, AND MORE, TO INFLUENCE AND REACH YOUR HOME AREA AND BEYOND FOR CHRIST!

(2) We must intentionally ADOPT our visitors and new members as “being part of our family”, from day ONE.

(a). Greeting our visitors and getting to know our new members in ways that make them feel at home, can be intimidating for our MEMBERS. So, perhaps we should hold classes and teach, help and train our MEMBERS the “HOW TO techniques and methods” on greeting, creating conversations and making our visitors feel at home and part of our Church Family. (Improve our ‘meet and greet the people around you’ only to go back to ‘sitting in our own little groups, staring forward and listening to the sermon after our greetings.)

(3). Coming to church AS A VISITOR can be uncomfortable, and even intimidating for most people. We must remember that our visitors are just that: visiting us. And we only get ONE CHANCE at making a FIRST IMPRESSION, and that it is a 25-70 deal at best. So, we must turn that around and make it about them. We need to let them know how important they are to us and to Jesus. We need to make them feel as if they are at home, and it is as if we are the visitors in their house! We have to change the paradigm.

(4). Perhaps we could form Parent-children mentoring (discipleship) sessions early in the visitation process or “new member’s class” process. For example:  we begin meeting in special orientation sessions as a way to help them  integrate.

(4a). Design short discussion games with parents and kids.

(4b). Separate into parent groups and youth groups.  Teach from selected scriptures. Then, discuss achievements and needed improvement in behaviors, activities, family environments, etc., in light of selected scriptures.

Form and Technique: What is meant is that we must build the next generation by TRULY making disciples. I.e., “we must decrease in our influence so Jesus can increase through us and the others among us”. It means that we must teach, train, encourage and send; THEN we must begin to replace ourselves with THE NEXT GENERATION – on purpose!

We will be building a Family Ministry to young families and youth as  part of the main Body here at (Concealed Name) Baptist Church, yet separate from the routine – think of it as a Missionary Church Plant WITHIN OUR OWN BODY!

Our focus must be on Jesus’ mission, calling, plan, methods and ways. We should minimize our own creativity. We must constantly be on mission, teaching, instructing, training and inspiring fathers, mothers and children to become mature as living examples, teaching, and training in righteousness, so that they, as servants of God are thoroughly equipped for every good work through the Spiritual Gifts God has granted each one for the building up of the Body: (also see Pastor Vern Collins, UMC Boone).

1. Lead them to Christ; disciple them in His Name, His calling, His mission, His purpose and His ways;
2. Lead them to become fully involved, inspired, excited, devoted followers of Jesus, and
3. Teach them to become disciple makers,
4. Executing Jesus’ mission, His plan, using His method for His purpose.
5. Then, send them. They, then, ARE the Church. “It is no longer ‘we four, and no more’”.
6. Encourage and assist them in building His Church (not ‘our church’), and sending His church out (not ‘our church’). WE MUST DECREASE SO HE, JESUS, CAN INCREASE.

NOW THE BOMBSHELL. Plant a Church within our Church, just like Jesus did it.

We begin with those in our Church whom God has gifted to be disciple-makers. God has alredy Gifted and Equipped them. These will become our Church Planters (Family and Youth Ministry planters) within our Church. This will be and EXTENSION of our Body, new and separate, but fitted together with the Body.

God will provide the gifts and talents necessary, not only for our Church Planters but also for these new believers to – FROM DAY ONE – to become capable of leading the way forward!

God will provide the gifts and talents necessary, not only for our Church Planters but also for these new believers to – FROM DAY ONE – to become capable of leading the way forward! Please take a look at this list of Spiritual Gifts and the linked test below this list.

GIFTS                  MINISTRIES            EFFECTS             OFFICES

Romans 12      1 Corinthians 12     1 Corinthians 12:28   Ephesians 4:11

Prophecy           Word of wisdom        Apostle                    Apostle

Serving              Word of knowledge   Prophet                   Prophet

Teaching            Faith                          Teacher                   Evangelist

Exhortation       Gifts of healing          Miracles                  Pastor

Giving               Miracles                       Kinds of healing    Teacher

Overseer            Prophecy                    Helps

Mercy                Distinguishing spirits     Administration

(Click here for an online Spiritual Gifts Test).

I am providing an example here, of how new believers become “fitted together with the Body” when establishing a Young Families and Youth Ministry by Planting a church within a Church. (see Boone UMC – Vern Collins link below). My son and his family were living in Boone, NC. Their pastor was a man named Vern Collins.  I met him at my son and daughter-in-law’s house during a soccer related cookout. (My son and family were moving). Instead of leaving after the cookout, Vern stayed and helped them pack their moving van. Vern lives with and in Jesus’ Church body. They are his extended family. I visited their church after they moved and got to know Vern Collins just a little better. The Boone United Methodist church needed to attract and establish (grow) a youth group.

They started by building a group within the Church and ended up planting a new church INSIDE the existing Church and eventually they GREW TOGETHER and ‘co-mingled’. They are still doing that to this day! (Please view the LINK at the bottom of this page).:

We say that we are ambassadors for Christ which is just another way to say that we are missionaries for Christ. We are on mission, planting churches – first within our own Church Body, then OUTSIDE our walls in the future!

We say we are missionaries and ambassadors for Christ. So, let’s be that!

(And as an addition to my resume and experience: I have had decades experience working with youth, both in the church and outside the church).

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young (Pastor/Teacher/Evangelist/Church Planter).

(Additional resources):

AND YOU SHALL BE MY DISCIPLES

A PROPHETIC WORD FROM JESUS TO GIVE YOU LIFE

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “IF YOU”…

Statistics show that we, the Church, are losing attendance, losing members, losing credibility, and we are losing the next generation to the world’s ways and beliefs. Some are dropping out from boredom, some from disappointment, others dont’ see the relevance. They are being influenced and trained by liberal and pagan social media outlets.

We have to engage them in Biblically sound and exciting ways. It has to be exciting, relevant, active, life challenging and life changing. It has to be the Gosple as Jesus taught it. People, families and kids want to be involved and not just an idle audience.

God is calling, and if we are willing, this is going to happen. We will be that “light of the world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden”.

Your pastor, brother and friend,

Mike Young

PS:

I would not be coming here to perpetuate a Legacy Church. I am called to do the will of God by following Jesus

By proclaiming and teaching His Message, His Methods and His Ways;

To execute His Plan by adopting and following his Purpose, Using His Methods.

I have no doubt in my mind that God is calling me, has commissioned and sent me to bring His Good News to the humble and afflicted;

That He has is sending me to bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted, and to release the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual captive from their confinement, condemnation and bondage and to set those prisoners free by the will and power of the Gospel of Jesus.

I am here to proclaim the favor of the LORD is to come upon this Church.

I am here to comfort all who mourn, to give them a new hope instead of living in the ashes of the past; I am bringing oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.

You would become known as oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

We will rebuild the ruins of the postmodern Church, and we will raise up and restore the former ways of Christ Jesus.

We will renew the ruined sanctuary of God, and the memory of the glories our God to this generation and this in this day.

Henceforth, people you haven’t known up until now, will come and will give to you freely, and they will become your laborers in God’s Work here.

You shall be called the priests of the LORD in this place; people will speak of you as the ministers of God.

You will enjoy a new health and new wealth.

Instead of our former embarrassments or shame we will share in a double portion of God’s Spiritual Blessings; And instead of past humiliation we will shout for joy over this new portion from God.

Everlasting joy will be ours – for those who will trust and follow God in all of His plans, purposes, methods and way.

THE BOOK OF JOHN, Chapter 21

Jesus Appears at the Sea of Galilee, Jesus Provides, The Love Question, Our Times are in His Hand.

It would seem that Jesus’ earthly ministry is coming to a close, but in reality, it is just beginning. The disciples have been taught in the ways of the Master and soon they will be sent to perpetuate the work of the Father, at the command and under the unction of the Son. They will be instructed to make disciples by the authority of Jesus Christ and through the filling of the Holy Spirit the entire world will experience the explosion of the Gospel across the globe – and nothing will ever be the same.

You don’t want to miss this, and you don’t want to miss out on this. Listen. Become a follower of Jesus and experience the most meaningful and amazing adventure of your life. There will be no spectators in heaven – only the participants will rise with Him in the end.

Jesus Appears at the Sea of Galilee

John 21:1, After these things Jesus revealed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He revealed Himself in this way: verse 2, Simon Peter, Thomas who was called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Verse 3. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are also coming with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

Verse 4. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Verse 5. So, Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” Verse 6. And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find the fish.” So, they cast it, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of fish. Verse 7. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So, when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. Verse 8. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

(Commentary Break): The personalities and the souls – the heartfelt emotional state of these disciples – is on full display here. It would seem that Peter, in resignation or just simple emotional exhaustion, decides to return to his former occupation of fishing. “I am going fishing.” The others with him said, ‘We are also coming with you.’ They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.” You should be able to feel the forlorn resignation and the sense of failure, “and that night they caught nothing. But then – the day was now breaking – Jesus was standing.” Listen dear friends, it is not a stretch to say that when things are the darkest and all seems to have ended in failure, with Jesus the dawn is always breaking!

“So, Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?’” It is so telling that Jesus calls these men, “children” (or “paidion” in the Greek). Jesus is referring to them as “half grown boys”, which they were by age, and “immature Christians”, which was also true. Such a sight that the Lord would endear Himself to these boys-soon-to-be-men in such a way.

Jesus states the obvious “you do not have any fish to eat, to you?” And instructs them to cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, saying, “and you will find the fish.” So, they did as He said, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of fish. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” And in the same way that Mary Magdalene did not immediately recognize the risen Christ, now they knew. And Peter, impetuous Peter, dives into the water and swims to the beach while the other bring the boat, dragging their haul of fish with them.

Such a picture of the soon-to-be Church. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 9. So, when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already made and fish placed on it, and bread. Verse 10. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” Verse 11. So, Simon Peter went up and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus Provides

Verse 12. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to inquire of Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. Verse 13. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. Verse 14. This was now the third time that Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

(Commentary Break): Jesus, the Lord, Priest, King and provider. All things were already set in place – a charcoal fire already made and fish placed on it, and bread – a foreshadowing of the things to come – “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (see Matthew 28:19-20) Please, dear friends, hold onto these things as you go and do these works that He has prepared ahead of time for you to walk in. He has all authority and He is always with you. (End Commentary Break).

The Love Question

Verse 15. Now when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” Verse 16. He said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” Verse 17. He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

(Commentary Break): This account of Jesus questioning Peter’s love is not just for our reading pleasure or for our entertainment. It is not idle information.

Jesus addresses Peter directly, indicating a personal and intimate conversation. This is significant as Peter had previously denied Jesus three times. The use of Peter’s original name, Simon, may suggest a return to foundational identity and calling.

Just days earlier, Peter had denied Jesus three times. Now, after the resurrection, Jesus publicly restores him. Three times Jesus asks, “Do you love Me?” Three times Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.”

Three times Jesus responds with a commission: “Feed My lambs”, “Tend My sheep”, “Feed My sheep.” The threefold questioning mirrors Peter’s three denials — this is deliberate and deeply symbolic.

In Greek, two different words for love are used: Agapē / agapaō – sacrificial, unconditional love; Phileō – brotherly affection, friendship love.

The pattern: The first time Jesus asks: “Do you agapāō Me?”. Peter replies “I phileō You.” The second time Jesus asks, “Do you agapāō Me?”; and the second time Peter replies “I phileō You.”

So, the third time Jesus changes the wording to reflect Peter’s response, “Do you phileō Me?”; and Peter says, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I phileō You.”

Many interpreters see this as Jesus calling Peter to the highest form of love and Peter responding humbly, aware of his recent failure. So, Jesus meets Peter where he is on the third question.

It is with all of us, as it was with Peter, Jesus meets us where we are, even in our deepest moments. He reveals to us and causes us to see our true intentions.

None-the-less, each affirmation of love is followed by responsibility: “Feed My lambs”, “Tend My sheep”, and, “Feed My sheep”. This passage restores to Biblical servanthood and prepares for future roles in His church.

(Please note: This is meant for each and every Christian and not just for those we incorrectly and errantly call “leaders”. Each of us have a role, a calling, gifts of service, and besides, Jesus said, “do not be called ‘leaders’ for only One is your leader, that is Christ” (see Matthew 23:10).

No matter what your calling, gifting or office in service to Jesus and His Church, His question and His command remains the same: “Do you agapāō Me?”  “Feed and tend My sheep”. Ours is to love one another and it is through this that the world will know that we are His disciples – through our service of teaching, protecting, guiding, nourishing and loving one another.

Peter denied Jesus publicly. We all run risk of denying Jesus in many ways.

Jesus will restore the repentant – publicly. Failure is not final when there is repentance.

Jesus does not ask, “Are you brave?, are you loyal, or are you gifted?” He asks: “Do you love Me?” Love for Christ is the qualification for serving Him, His Church and for shepherding His people.

John 21:15–17 teaches:

• • • Christ restores fallen believers.
    • Service flows from love for Christ.
    • Loving, serving and shepherding God’s people is sacred stewardship.
    • Past failure does not disqualify a repentant servant.

(End Commentary Break).

Our Times Are in His Hand

Verse 18. Truly, truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to put on your belt and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will put your belt on you, and bring you where you do not want to go.” Verse 19. Now He said this, indicating by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had said this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”

(Commentary Break): The phrase “stretch out your hands” is often interpreted as a metaphor for crucifixion, a form of execution that was common in the Roman Empire. This imagery foreshadows Peter’s martyrdom, as tradition holds that he was crucified in Rome.

 Jesus has told us that we must ‘crucify the flesh’ and ‘die to self’ in order to follow Him. The stretching out of hands can also symbolize submission and vulnerability. Theologically, it reflects the cost of discipleship and the ultimate surrender to God’s will, even unto death. This prophecy is fulfilled in the tradition that Peter was martyred for his faith, highlighting the theme of sacrifice and commitment in following Christ. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 20. Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them—the one who also had leaned back on His chest at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who is betraying You?” Verse 21. So, Peter, upon seeing him, said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Verse 22. Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” Verse 23. Therefore, this account went out among the brothers, that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

(Commentary Break): The question “what about him?” suggests Peter’s curios interest in the fate of John, possibly in light of Jesus’ earlier prophecy about Peter’s own future martyrdom. This moment emphasizes the theme of individual callings and destinies within the Christian faith, as Jesus’ response will focus on the importance of following Him regardless of others’ paths. This interaction also serves as a reminder of the unique roles each disciple plays in the unfolding of God’s plan, echoing the diverse gifts and callings mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 24. This is the disciple who is testifying about these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

Verse 25. But there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written. (End Chapter 21 – End the Book of John).

John aptly closes this writing saying, “This is the disciple who is testifying about these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true”. This is not hearsay, but a first-hand account of these matters.

Jesus’ earthly ministry is coming to a close. Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:9-11, give us the primary account of Jesus’ ascension and what follows, Jesus says, “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father”. (see John 14:12). So, it begins – the greater works of Christ – the world turned upside down – the beginning of the End is at hand.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PREVIOUS: THE BOOK OF JOHN, Chapter 20, The Empty Tomb, Jesus Among His Disciples, Why This Gospel Was Written.

HAVE YOU MET THE WOMAN AT THE WELL?

(Are You LikeThat Person?)

(Jacob’s Well)

But first, let me ask “Why and how do you read the Bible?”

Do you read it as one would read a novel; looking for interesting stories, mysteries? Or do you read it as a self-help book, looking for moral and ethical lessons? Or perhaps you read the Bible as a “How To” book, looking for instructions on how to pray, how to be saved, how to witness, how to be a better person, how to receive from God?

But what if you read the Bible as if it were factually true? I mean, not only without error, but literally true and factually accurate in ways we fail to recognize? What if the Bible is truly a gateway to an unseen (Spiritual) realm from which all things originate? A place where you can have peace in the midst of the tribulations of this physical world, knowing for certain that “He who dwells in you has overcome this world”?

Jesus was fully human and fully divine – fully God. He could and did experience all the feelings and emotions of humankind, but without sin. And still, He is fully God. And He – God – came to this world for you, to show you the way to an abundant and an eternal life, in heaven with God. Just imagine:

Revelation 22:1, And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Jesus), verse 2, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Verse 3. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; verse 4, they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. Verse 5. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever. And Jesus is the only way and the only One Who is able to keep this promise and to lead us to safety.

The Bible gives us examples of how God may come to us in the most unlikely of places at the most unexpected times and yet speak to us in the most relatable of ways to bring us to the most amazing of all Truth.

How is it possible that you could experience such wonders? It is by faith.

You see, the Bible says that God is able to do all things and that He is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent and that He has a divine purpose and plan. His plan to find you, bring you back to Himself and give you an eternal home with Him, through His Son, Jesus. (see Luke 19:10).

Let’s look at just one such example found in the book of John, chapter 4, verses 1 through 46.

John 4:1, So then, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that He was making and baptizing more disciples than John, verse 2, (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing; rather, His disciples were), verse 3, He left Judea and went away again to Galilee.

(Commentary Break): This event or narrative of these verses is often repeated as a ‘story’ about Jesus and the woman at the well in order to observe and to muse about the historical religious significance of the site, insights of Jesus Words to this woman at the well. But little is said about the reason why Jesus followed the route he took, or why He stopped at the well, except that He was tired from His long journey. Let’s step back and look at the larger picture and consider that there is a ‘backstory’ or a larger mission.

It is all by design. There is nothing that humanly happens in this life that is not both divinely decreed and intersected by human free will. The possibilities, mathematically speaking, are humanly incalculable. The Bible says God is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. As such, He is never anyplace at any time without a divine purpose and plan. God sees and knows each and every possibility and the outcomes all at once and “His Will is done, on this earth even as it is in heaven”.

Therefore, as it says in verse 1, “the Lord knew”, so He left Judea and went away again to Galilee; (on purpose and with a purpose). Why did He leave at this time? Was it because He knew that because His influence was surpassing that of John the Baptist the Pharisees had taken notice and this was not the time for a confrontation with the Pharisees? Perhaps. But there is a greater reason and cause at hand.

Please remember that Jesus is on earth – He, in fact, has been sent to earth by The Father – to do the will of His Father. Jesus has said in many ways and at many times that He is on a schedule, His time is valuable and is limited because He has a Mission to accomplish – “to seek and save the lost” and “I seek not my own will, but the will of my Father who sent Me”, and “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

So then, when the Lord knew (ginosko, from the Greek language, – a deep, complete, penetrating, intimate and perceptive knowledge), in the aorist tense – i.e., He knew beforehand, He knows presently and He will always know),

He left Judea (aphiēmi, from the Greek language,– left, abandoned, mission there was finished), in the aorist tense – i.e., He knew He would be leaving, He is certain the time had come, He would never doubt it), and He

 Went away (aperchomai – to depart in of an evanescent state of things – vanishing as a vapor, imperceptible),

 Again (palin – through the idea of oscillatory repetition; a renewal or repetition of the action).

 to Galilee (Galiloea – A circle of gentiles or ‘the heathen circle’, a region of Palestine).

Jesus was ‘invading’ the heart of ‘the heathen circle’. Let’s step back to Matthew 4:12-16 and see a broader view and that the importance of Galilee is that this is the place, when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”

Genesis 1:1 tells us that God said “let there be light”; and the Words of God in Matthew 4:16 are no less significant, no less creative and no less prophetic that those from Genesis 1.

Then In Matthew 4 verse 17 we read, “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 In Matthew 4:17, the Bible tells us, FIRST that “From that time” what time is this? This can be considered as one of the most important historical time markers in the Bible – it is a line of demarcation.

This is the point Jesus began His earthly ministry as commissioned by God the Father, and This is beginning of the invasion of earth by the kingdom of heaven! The greatest of all spiritual wars has begun!

 GOD is announcing that He has come back to reclaim what is His and those who are His! He is here to take His land and to take His kids back from the devil’s captivity – you and me and millions more like us.

 This event is a NEW dawn, a NEW beginning – no less fantastic that when in the beginning God said, “LET THERE BE LIGHT”, GOD is now saying “A GREAT LIGHT HAS DAWNED”.

 And like we often recite from the “Lord’s Prayer”, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”, Jesus is saying that time is at hand!

 (Now let’s return to John chapter 4).

Verse 4. And He had to pass through Samaria.

(Commentary Break):

And He had to pass through Samaria (dei, from the Greek language – is saying it is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right and proper).

At first glance it might see that the only pathway from Judea to Galilee was through Samaria. But that is not what this is saying. It is saying that this

1. Was an ongoing necessity which was lying in the nature of the case.
2. Was a necessity brought which was on by circumstances or by the conduct of others toward us.
3. Was a necessity which was in reference to what is required to attain some end.
4. Was a necessity which was of law and command, of duty, equity.
5. Was a necessity established by the counsel and decree of God, especially by that purpose of his which relates to the salvation of men by the intervention of Christ and which is disclosed in the Old Testament prophecies.
6. Represents continual or repeated action. Where the present tense might indicate “He kept on passing through,”  (End Commentary Break).

Verse 5. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;

(Commentary Break): For commentary on verse five please see BibleHub.com). (End Commentary Break).

verse 6, and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, tired from His journey, was just sitting by the well. It was about the sixth hour (12:00 o’clock noon time).

(Commentary Break): For commentary on verse six please see BibleHub.com). (End Commentary Break).

Verse 7. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

(Commentary Break): This is not a metaphor nor is it just a story. It is an account of an actual event. However, there is a purpose, a lesson, a teaching and an eternal Truth to be gained from this encounter.

First, let’s consider that The woman of Samaria is “every man and every woman” – the nature of this woman is you and me. Secondly, we can see ourselves in the lives, thoughts and behaviors of Jesus’ disciples as we hurry about tending to our own physical needs. Finally, Jesus’ words and actions are the Words and Actions of God and are the model for every Christian and disciple of Jesus as we are the appointed representatives and ambassadors of Christ.

As the “Samaritan woman”, we all will come to “draw water” (to slack or to satisfy our physical, mental, emotional or spiritual thirst or to thereby nourish ourself) at one time or another. (As a footnote, in this case, although it was sociologically normal for a man to make demands of a woman, it was not acceptable for a Jewish man to condescend to speak to a Samaritan, and especially to a Samaritan woman. They were at least to be ignored. How often are these social or psychological standards imposed on us, today, but in a sense of feeling worthy or of feeling unworthy?  (For a more detailed commentary of verse 7, please seeBibleHub.com). (End Commentary Break).

Verse 8. For His disciples had gone away to the city to buy food.

Verse 9. So the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, though You are a Jew, are asking me for a drink, though I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Verse 10. Jesus replied to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” Verse 11. She said to Him, “Sir, You have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do You get this living water? Verse 12. You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well and drank of it himself, and his sons and his cattle?” Verse 13. Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again; verse 14, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”

(Commentary Break): The stage is set. The conversation has begun. First, Jesus goes straight to the point by explaining, “If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

 Jesus is thinking in His heavenly ‘spiritual language’, so-to-speak, as He translates into the human language of this Samaritan woman. (This is done because, as Isaiah 55:8-11 tells us, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it produce and sprout, And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.”).

The gift of God – dórea – a gift, freely given and hence not acquired by merit or “entitlement” expresses a brand of giving that highlights the beneficent desire of the giver. This “gift of God” refers to the salvation and eternal life offered through Jesus Christ. This phrase emphasizes the grace and generosity of God, who offers salvation freely to those who believe. It echoes Ephesians 2:8-9, which speaks of salvation as a gift from God, not a result of works. The concept of God’s gift is central to the Gospel message, underscoring the unmerited favor bestowed upon humanity.

Who it is – Only God could offer a Gift of God. Jesus is identifying Himself as God. He is God with us, Immanuel.

 Living Water – This is the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the believer’s life. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11), and regenerates those who believe in Christ, making them new creations (John 3:5-6; Titus 3:5). The Spirit sanctifies believers, helping them grow in holiness and conform to the image of Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2).

Jesus is telling this woman, as He is telling each one of us who are confronted by Him, “If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is the evidence and the proof that one is saved – SOZO, (sode’-zo) – in the Bible, means to be rescued from destruction and brought into divine safety”. To deliver or protect— (From Strong’s Bible Concordance).

SAVED:  To be made safe, to be made healthy, to be made whole (complete with purpose). Delivered from the evil one and from the coming Messianic Judgment of God – NOW and for all of eternity,

Made safe, to be made healthy, to be made whole In your body. In your mind. In your soul and spirit.

Made safe, to be made healthy, to be made whole In your home. With your family, your children, your spouse and relatives. In your work. With your friends. In every aspect of your life.

Made safe, to be made healthy, to be made whole even in times of distress, tribulation, trials, sickness, poverty and chaos. You are made to prosper even as your soul prospers!

(This is not a magic formula or a spell. It is the Word of God through your faithful, submissive obedience in following Jesus.

This is the Good News that God gave John to proclaim.

This is the Good News and the reason God sent us His Son. Jesus.

This is the Good News that Jesus proclaims to the world, then and now. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 15. The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw water.”

Commentary Break): And still, this woman only understands from an earthly and unregenerate perspective of a lost soul. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 16. He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” Verse 17. The woman answered and said to Him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; verse 18, for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this which you have said is true.” Verse 19. The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

(Commentary Break): Jesus uses the common and what is thought to be hidden to open the eyes of her mind and to bring this woman to the Truth. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 20. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and yet you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one must worship.” Verse 21. Jesus said to her, “Believe Me, woman, that a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. Verse 22. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. Verse 23. But a time is coming, and even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. Verse 24. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Verse 25. The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Verse 26. Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.”

(Commentary Break): Please use these links For a full commentary on verse 20, verse 21, verse 22. Verse 23 through verse 26 gives us one of the most profound and amazing statements found in the Bible. Jesus has clearly announced to humanity that He is the One – the prophesied Messiah, the promised King of Israel and of the Savior of the world. “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Verse 26. Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.” (End Commentary Break).

Jesus is still speaking to us, today. Representative of each time that “Jesus began to preach and say”,  Matthew 4:17 tells us that the word used there, from the Greek language, is ‘kerusso’. This is NOT a casual statement nor is it just a narration. It is a word of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed; something which has been done, first in the Spiritual realm and to be manifest in the natural.  It is not a general statement nor is it a request.  It is PROPHETIC command. Kerusso!

Next, let’s notice that Jesus says “Repent”. What is often overlooked but should be  glaringly obvious is that Jesus does not tell us WHAT to repent from. We typically assume we are to repent of our sins. But that is not what He actually says. He simply says, “Repent”.

But REPENT from what?

“Repent, (‘metanoeo’), from the Greek, means to change one’s mind – to change one’s mind for the better.

And if it is that we are to REPENT of our sins, it is just as important to know that the word Sin, from the Greek word ‘hamartia’ – literally means to be without a share in; to miss the mark. To miss the mark both of  all that God has intended for your life and all that He has for you now, and for all of eternity.

It is commonly accepted that Jesus meant that we are to heartily amend, with abhorrence of our past sins. And it can mean that and it DOES mean that. BUT IT MEANS SO MUCH MORE.

So, when Jesus says to REPENT, the overall meaning, the connotation of this word it to CHANGE AND CONDITION YOUR MIND TO THINK LIKE JESUS, TO SEE THINGS FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE AND TO RESPOND IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCE AND SITUATIONS OF LIFE AND DEATH AS JESUS DOES.

This requires a radical redefining or our understand. It demands that we turn our minds to what Jesus says and what He means – even if it makes us uncomfortable.

Jesus is saying that REPENTANCE is a radical reformation and shift in our paradigms. It is a change in our attitudes, and of our mindset, our will and emotions from how we naturally see things to HOW JESUS SEES THINGS. It is a change in the all the choices we make in life so WE CAN SEE THEM AS JESUS SEES THEM.

 Jesus is saying we must change how see or view and deal with our relationships with others, our families, marriage, and even our disputes. How we react to being wronged, how we give of ourselves, of our time of our resources. How we view work, money, wealth, and anxiety. How we view our community, our country and the world and how we view the lost – from how we see them to HOW HE SEES THEM. We must see the world around us and what Jesus is commanding of us AS HE SEES IT.  THAT IS TRUE AND COMPLETE REPENTANCE.

 We begin to see that the Words of Jesus are life giving words. They protect us, they guide and direct us. They strengthen us and provide us with purpose and hope.

And finally, in this verse, Jesus says, for the kingdom of heaven is now at hand (The words ” the Kingdom of Heaven” are so descriptive that you must take the definition of each word and consider the impact and importance. 

 The Kingdom of God is now at hand, describes the long awaited arrival of the Messiah who is now to establish His Kingdom on earth. As the “Lord’s Prayer” even says, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.  A Kingdom of forgiveness, of grace, mercy, justice and eternal salvation.  A Kingdom conquering death, disease, sin and darkness.

 His Kingdom is a royal power, a kingship, dominion, rule and the right or authority to rule over a kingdom; the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah and the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom.” This is our calling and our role as Christians, Disciples of Jesus,

And finally, the phrase, the kingdom is now “At hand.”  (“At hand” comes from a Greek word of with a meaning like the ‘crook of your arm’ and with the action like a mounting wave which has the power to knock you off your feet and roll you over and over; indicating a distance which is as close as your hand is to your wrist, AND as Luke 17:21 puts it, “the kingdom of God is now within you”. Romans 10:8 ALSO tells us, that “THE WORD (OF GOD) IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”.

Jesus is saying, today, we are to “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is now at hand”. (End Commentary Break).

John 4:27, And at this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What are You seeking?” or, “Why are You speaking with her?” Verse 28. So the woman left her waterpot and went into the city, and said to the people, Verse 29. “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is He?” Verse 30. They left the city and were coming to Him.

(Commentary Break): Look and see: you are at various times do the works of Jesus; at other times you are the woman; still at other times you are the people in the city. At all times, as it says in verse 30, we are to be coming to Him. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 31. Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat something.” Verse 32. But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” Verse 33. So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Verse 34. Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.

(Commentary Break): What are you looking for? Do you have natural eyes or spiritual eyes? You will only see that of which you seek. The disciples were thinking of earthly matters and that is all they could see – Jesus is speaking of heavenly matters. Let’s pray that God enlightens the eyes of our hearts. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 35. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest. Verse 36. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together. Verse 37. For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ Verse 38. I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have come into their labor.”

(Commentary Break): “Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together.” These “wages” refer to the spiritual rewards and fulfillment that come from participating in God’s work. This echoes the principle found in 1 Corinthians 3:8, where Paul speaks of each worker receiving their reward according to their labor. The imagery of reaping suggests a time of joy and completion, as seen in the agricultural practices of the time, where harvest was a season of celebration.

The Samaritans

Verse 39. Now from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” Verse 40. So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Verse 41. Many more believed because of His word; verse 42, and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One truly is the Savior of the world.”

And so by these and even greater works the world came to know Jesus. No flashing lights, no stage smoke, no twanging of guitars or banging of symbols. No singers jumping up and down to the rhythmic beat of passions drums. And encounter with the Living Word of Truth.

Let’s let this be a lesson to us – indeed.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

When does the 7 Years of “Great Tribulation”, The “Great and Terrible Day of The Lord” and “The Wrath of the Lamb” begin?

And, When does the “midpoint” (3.5 years) occur?

This can be a great mystery. But, it need not be.  Here is the Tribulation Timeline, in summary:

The opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began sometime between the birth of Jesus and A.D. 95.   Tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, have been overlapping and intensifying up until this day.

(These are known as the “Birth Pains” or the Birth Pains phase of the Tribulation (see Matthew 24:3-18 for Jesus’ complete statement). They began at or around the time of the birth of Jesus, and they include (1), great deceptions also called the great delusion (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12), (2), wars and rumors of wars, (3), famines and earthquakes, (4), a great persecution of Christians, (5), the Great Apostasy, falling away from the faith in Christ, which leaves only one event to be completed – The revealing of the man of perdition – before the SIXTH TRIBULATION SEAL is opened, marking the beginning of the 7 years of Great Tribulation, also known as the Great Tribulation, the Great and Terrible Day of The Lord and the Wrath of the Lamb.

How can these things be since so many Protestant evangelical churches teach a dispensational pretribulation view (in other words, the rapture occurs, then all 7 years of the tribulation begins)?

The history behind the traditional dispensational pre-tribulation rapture was proposed and promulgated by John Nelson Darby, (1800–1882) a British theologian and a key figure in the Plymouth Brethren movement, known for founding the Exclusive Brethren and for his role in developing modern dispensationalism and pre-tribulation rapture theology? However, critics of John Nelson Darby often point to his teachings on dispensationalism and his views on the atonement, which some argue are inconsistent with traditional Christian doctrine. Additionally, figures like Charles Spurgeon have criticized Darby’s influence on the church, describing it as leading to isolationism and doctrinal errors within the Plymouth Brethren movement.

A slow, careful and studious reading of the New Testament, looking for clues to the events and testimonies of Jesus and His disciples and apostles leading up to Matthew 24:29-31 will give you a much clearer and more accurate picture. (You can do this on your own, and I am giving a synopsis below).

Please read these scriptures and testimonies by other Apostles, confirming that the Last Days and the breaking of tribulation seals one through five had begun in or around the birth of Jesus through A.D. 95:

Since the birth of Jesus, there have been increasing episodes of

1. global conquest and political intrigue (tribulation seal ONE),
2. wars and rumors of war (tribulation seal TWO),
3. famines, earthquakes, (tribulation seal THREE),
4. widespread and global deaths (tribulation seal FOUR),
5. persecution, martyrs, the Antichrist, the Great Apostasy and falling away from the faith (tribulation seal FIVE);

All occurring since the birth of Jesus, continuing, overlapping and intensifying since their inception:

Matthew 24:4-31, (Jesus), describing a panorama of the tribulation and the Last Days. Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them, (see Matthew 24:3-4),

(1). Jesus warned that “In the Last Days, there will be a rise of false Christs and false prophets. (This was an ongoing problem since as early as A.D. 35. See Matthew 24:4-5). Do you see these things in our day? This a clue pointing to the “Last Days”.

(2). Jesus said, “In the Last Days, there will be famines and earthquakes”. (This has been a regular occurrence since as early as A.D. 35 or earlier. See Matthew 24:7 and the Fourth Tribulation Seal, found in Revelation 6:5-8). Do you see these things happening in our day? If you aren’t ‘denominationally biased’ could this reasonably be a clue to the timing of the “Last Days”?

(3). Jesus said, “In the Last Days, there are wars and rumors of wars. (Wars and rumors of war have been occurring since as early as A.D. 35 or earlier. See Matthew 24:6 and the Second Tribulation Seal, found in Revelation 6:3-4).

(4). Jesus said, “In the Last Days, there will be a persecution and martyrdom of Christians. (This has been an ongoing problem since as early as A.D. 35. “See Matthew 24:9 and the onset of the Fifth Tribulation Seal, found in Revelation 6:9-11).

(5). Jesus said, “In the Last Days, there will be a falling away from the faith.” (This has been an ongoing problem since as early as A.D. 35, and has been increasing to this very day. See Matthew 24:10).

These things, false Christs, wars and rumors of war, famines, earthquakes and plagues, persecutions, martyrs, which Jesus calls the ‘Birth Pangs’ of the tribulation (see Matthew 24:8), are nothing new; and from these cited verses, we can plainly see that the first 5 tribulation Seals have been broken, and the effects had begun between the time of the birth of Jesus and A.D 95, and have been overlapping and increasing in their intensity since those early days.

Jesus calls the 1^st phase of the tribulation the ‘Birth Pangs’ (Matthew 24:8). Jesus then calls the 2^nd phase of the tribulation, the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21), also known as the 6^th Tribulation Seal (Revelation 6:12-14), and the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord (Joel 2:31), and the Wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:16).. (Please click these links for verification and understanding).

Do you now see the clues to the timing of the first 5 tribulation seals?

Acts 2:14-17, (the Apostle Peter), saying, “let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be…’ (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60). Do you see this clue to the timing of the Last Days?

1 Peter 1:20, (the Apostle Peter), saying, “He, (Jesus), was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60). Do you see this clue to the timing of the Last Days here?

1 Peter 4:7, (the Apostle Peter), saying, “The end of all things is at hand.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60). A clue!

2 Peter 3:3. (the Apostle Peter), saying, “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60). Is this true in our day, also?

If these verses say all these things began occurring in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60, and Peter called those days the LAST TIMES, THE LAST DAYS, and it is THE END OF ALL THINGS.

What would you think, now?

1 Corinthians 10:11, (the Apostle Paul), saying, “Now these things happened to them as an example and warning [to us]; they were written for our instruction [to admonish and equip us], upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).

Hebrews 1:2, (the Apostle Paul), saying, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).

Hebrews 9:26, (the Apostle Paul), saying, “But as it is, Jesus has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60). Could it be any clearer? The Last days began at the appearance of Jesus!

If these verses say all these things began occurring in the LAST TIMES, THE LAST DAYS, and it is THE END OF ALL THINGS.

What would you think?

2 Timothy 3:1, (Timothy), saying, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).

If these verses say all these things began occurring in the LAST TIMES, THE LAST DAYS, and it is THE END OF ALL THINGS.

Would you now think the Last Days began? Want more?

1 John 2:18. (the Apostle John), saying, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore, we know that it is the last hour.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 30 to A.D. 60).

Revelation 1:9, (The Apostle John), saying, “I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation.” (Spoken and written in or around A.D. 95 to A.D. 100).

According to the words and the testimonies of Jesus , His disciples and Apostles, the “LAST DAYS – THE LAST TIMES – THE END OF THE AGES – THE END OF ALL THINGS – THE BIRTH PAINS OF THE TRIBULATION” began with the Birth of Christ Jesus.

With the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal we will see that THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31 & Revelation 6:12-16)

Sometime after the rapture of the church, which occurs at the 6th Seal, the Antichrist enters a treaty with Israel. This begins the seven-year tribulation:

Furthermore, it is important to know that the Apostle Paul grappled with a growing apostasy, (tribulation Seal 5), during the early formation of the Church. It is reaching a crescendo now, in the twenty-first century. The only things left to happend before breaking of the Sixth Tribluation Seal and the rapture is the revealing of the “man of lawlessness”, i.e., the Antichrist. He will appear before the rapture, according to the Apostle Paul. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4: “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy, ^{[Which is the falling away from the faith]} comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”)       

We are therefore now standing at the precipice of the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal.

Section A.2. With the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal we will see that THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31 & Revelation 6:12-16)

Sometime after the rapture of the church, which occurs at the 6th Seal, the Antichrist enters a treaty with Israel. This begins the seven-year tribulation. (see BibleHub.Org).

At the midpoint of the tribulation, which is found at the 6^th tribulation trumpet, (1,260 days later), the Antichrist breaks the treaty, desecrates the temple, and begins to persecute the Jews. (see BibleHub.Org).

According to Daniel 9:27, the tribulation begins with the signing of a peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel, intended to be for one “seven,” that is, a set of seven years. But the “seven” is divided into halves: midway through the seven years, the Antichrist breaks the treaty and sets up in the temple a sacrilegious object (the “abomination that causes desolation”). The phrase “in the middle” indicates that the first half of the tribulation lasts for 3½ years, or at the blowing of the 6^th Tribulation Trumpet, (1,260 days, using a “prophetic year” of 360 days). Likewise, the second half of the tribulation lasts another 1,260 days (another 3½ years), for a total of seven years.

At the end of the tribulation (1,260 days after the desecration of the temple), Jesus Christ returns to earth and defeats the forces of the Antichrist.

During the next 30 days (leading up to 1,290 days after the desecration of the temple), Israel is rebuilt, and the earth is restored.

During the next 45 days (leading up to 1,335 days after the desecration of the temple), the Gentile nations are judged for their treatment of Israel.

The dispensation of the millennium begins, and it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3 5–6,).

(Below here is a more complete description of the Tribulation Timeline. Concern yourself with the first SIX SEALS.)

The ‘tribulation period of birth pangs‘ (Matthew 24:8 & Revelation 6) begins with the breaking of the 1st Tribulation Seal and continues through the 5th Tribulation Seal, during which time we will see the

• Apostasy,
• the great persecution of Christians,
• the revealing of the man of perdition and
• the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and her enemies.

The 1st Seal of the tribulation was being broken just after the death and resurrection of Christ, and the succeeding seals (Seals 2 – 5) have been broken. Jesus refers to this period, the breaking of the tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE as “the beginning of the birth pangs”, and He points out that “this is not yet the end”.

Section B.2. Then, with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD, THE GREAT TRIBULATION, BEGINS. (Matthew 24:29, & Revelation 6:12)

As witnessed by, Matthew 24:29, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Verse 30. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. Verse 31. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

The “7 years of Great Tribulation” (aka Daniel’s 70th week) begins with the breaking of the 6th tribulation seal, and, will reach the mid-point of the tribulation period, (after 3.5 years) with the sounding of the 6th Trumpet of the Great Tribulation.

Then, the Great Tribulation will end with the pouring out of the 7 Bowls of Wrath.

– THE TRIBULATION JUDGMENTS LEAD TO THE END OF THE AGE –

The world has endured, and is enduring, the first 5 tribulation seals. You should, therefore, concern yourself with and be ready for the breaking of the Tribulation 6th Seal and the Great and Terrible day of the Lord!

Here is a Short outline comparing Jesus’ account of the Tribulation period both in the Book of Revelation and in the Book of Matthew:

Revelation Ch. 6 – as corresponding to – Matthew Chapter 24

The 1st Tribulation Seal  –  Global conquest and political intrigue. (This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying.)

The 2nd Tribulation Seal –  Wars and Rumors of War. (This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying.)

The 3rd Tribulation Seal  –  Famine. (This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying.)

The 4th Tribulation Seal  –  Death. (This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying.)

The 5th Tribulation Seal  –  Martyrs, persecution, Anti-Christ, falling away.(This Seal was broken between A.D. 1 and A.D. 95, has been ongoing and has been overlapping the other Seals, and has been intensifying and will transition to the Sixth Seal once the Antichrist has been revealed.)

The 6th Tribulation Seal  –  Cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun. (The Opening of the 6th Tribulation Seal is yet to come. It is The BEGINNING OF the 7 years of “THE GREAT TRIBULATION” period, also known as The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord or the Wrath of the Lamb.)

• Sealing of the 144,000 – during the 6th Seal. (Revelation 7:1-8).
• The gathering & The Rapture of God’s Elect. (Matthew 24:29-31)
• Multitude from the tribulation before the Throne of God (Revelation 7:9-17).

I will continue through the ‘Bowl Judgments’ in this article, but, for the Christian, The Rapture has occurred at this point and Jesus has taken His Spotless Bride, The Church, to the Throne of God, Her eternal home.

Be Sure. Be Ready. Be Secure.

Your Brother and Friend

Mike Young

Receive Him and Declare Him as Lord Today
Become a Child of God Today

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and surrender my heart and my life to you.  I will trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior the rest of my days.” 

The 7th Tribulation Seal – (click to continue) – The announcement of the 7 Trumpet Judgments.

(Ancillary reading:  The Great Concurrence and Convergence of Events).

Two Views of History – The Past and Present – The Past, Present and the Future.

There are only two credible views of human history and only one view of our destiny.

Science gives us the lens of archeology, geology and biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, sociology, mathematics and logic which looks back in time. The Bible gives us the root of scientific discoveries, their outcomes and the origins and root of the body, the mind, will, emotions and of the soul or spirit of mankind. In other words, science is restating what the Bible has already proclaimed, instructed, created, and caused, but it is unable to see what is coming (i.e., what has been prophesied by the Bible). Science speaks in the vulgar language of humanity. The Bible is the Harmonics of God throughout creation. It is the very Breath of a Holy, Good and Perfect God.

If you want to know where we have been as a human race, both science and the Bible give a perspective into history. One, being science, is a theoretical look back by way of ancient evidential ruins, and the other, being the Bible, retraces our steps by way of an emphasis on the causes, purposes, plans and methods derived the Spirit of God, imparted to our physical abilities, cognitive skills, our psyche and the core of our being also called our spirit.

Science relies on the wit and skills of mankind. The Bible (i.e., God) relies on the unseen Spirit of God and the kingdom of heaven, which tells of what was, what is and what forevermore shall be.

Science is both empirical and theoretical and mankind is fallible and prone to self-destruction by way of scientific advances.

God and the Bible are eternal and lead to abundant and eternal life.

Science attempts to tell when, what, where and why of the past and present.

The Bible tells when, what, where and why of the past and present with a promise of a future and the only way to get there.

People have tried to accuse religion as the cause of most wars. That is an arrogant deflection from the failures of humankind. The cause of most wars is mankind using religion as their excuse for wars.

Christianity clearly teaches and promotes peace among humankind. Humankind subverts that teaching and promotes tyranny and authoritarians rule for all humankind.

God Created

Mankind Fell

God Expelled,

Mankind Rebelled .

God Expunged, Cleansed, Restored,

Mankind Exalted himself.

God Scattered,

Mankind Gathered again.

God showed the way,

Mankind strayed from the way.

God sent a savior to show the way,

Mankind killed The Hope.

God showed mercy and restored hope by raising Jesus from the grave,

Most all of humankind is slapping away the extended merciful Hand of God.

God is Gathering once again,

Most of mankind is scattering.

God is Calling,

The rage of mankind is deafening and is muting His Voice.

God is at the doorstep,

Most of mankind would lock that door.

Revelation 3:8, ‘I know your deeds – (those things you have done and these things you are doing). Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have little power,

Revelation 3:20, Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Verse 21 The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne. Verse 22. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Revelation 4:1, After these things I look, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”

Dear Friend,

We are at the precipice. Open your spiritual ears and eyes and hear and see. God has given us instruction over the epochs of time and some have heard His Word and given us that Word. We have (clumsily) acted on His instructions. Our methods and form has changed as time has gone by, and we have strayed once again. We are now at the breaking point – the precipice. God said He was sorry He had created humankind and destroyed all but a remnant.

He has said that, as this cycle repeats and “mankind continually does evil”, He will once again call out a remnant, and He will once again destroy this world, but this time a fervent heat will consume the heavens and the earth.

Then He will provide us who remain, a new heaven and a new earth, and we will live with Him, and He will dwell among us for all eternity.

The time between then and now there is coming a Great Tribulation, an apocalypse, such as the world has never seen and will never see again. That time is at hand.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  A Timeline from The Beginning to The End

THEN: A World History timeline converged and compared with a Biblical Historical Timeline

FINALLY:  The Journey to Perfection

https://songer.co/song/lyz3irt4zczcs68hxx7dre16

“Should a Christian defend themselves against verbal harassment or violent attacks?”

The TOP Line

At the top of all this, there have been church bombings, burnings, violent attacks on the people of the church. And as of this date, January 22, 2026, we only need to look to New York City or Saint Paul Minnesota to see the aggressive, often illegal and oppressive tactics being used by Leftists (Marxists). We can also see an example of how one church is responding to this harassment.

If we depend solely on our own strength and wit to engage these harassments and attacks, we will fail. You see, scriptures instruct us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore, we are to take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints.

I asked Chaptgpt, “Should a Christian defend themselves against verbal harassment or violent attacks?” and it began by saying, Christians have wrestled with this question from the earliest days of the faith. The Bible gives principles, not a single one-line rule, and those principles need to be held together.

But first, MY RESPONSE (in red and black text):

I am all but certain that my response will evoke a myriad of responses, but I both agree and disagree with the Chatgpt answer to this question (see below).

I believe all that is said (by Chatgpt, below) is correct with one exception, and that one exception is the bedrock of the argument or discussion.

The one exception is that Jesus came to earth and was on the specific Mission give Him by the Father, and He could not and would not waste His time physically engaging His enemies and detractors. His Mission was to save sinners by revealing God, offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin, and accomplishing redemption—according to God’s predetermined plan.

Jesus and His disciples and those disciples that followed, faced the most severe persecutions, harassments, murders, and beatings. They were, at times, hunted down, viciously attacked, cut to pieces, stoned, burned to death and crucified on crosses. Sometimes they fled and hid but they stay true to Jesus’ Mission, even in the face of these perils. We are to do no less.

(CHATGPT response is in this color text –  my comments are in black or red text):

In TheMiddle

From the middle ages until this postmodern age, here are the core components of His mission, stated in Jesus’ own words and in apostolic teaching.

1. To Do the Father’s Will (Perfect Obedience

Jesus repeatedly defined His mission as obedience to the Father:

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
— John 6:38

This obedience included His life, suffering, death, and resurrection (Philippians 2:8).

2. To Reveal the Father

Jesus’ mission included making God known:

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
— John 14:9

“No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son… He has made Him known.”
— John 1:18

Jesus reveals God’s character, truth, holiness, love, and redemptive purpose.

3. To Proclaim the Kingdom of God

Jesus announced the arrival of God’s kingdom:

“I must preach the kingdom of God… for this purpose I have been sent.”
— Luke 4:43

This proclamation included repentance, forgiveness, and the future fulfillment of the kingdom (especially relevant in a premillennial framework).

4. To Seek and Save the Lost

Jesus explicitly stated His redemptive mission:

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
— Luke 19:10

This frames His ministry as a rescue mission for sinners.

5. To Give His Life as a Ransom

Central to His mission was His sacrificial death:

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
— Mark 10:45

“This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”
— Matthew 26:28

This fulfills Isaiah 53 and the entire sacrificial system.

6. To Fulfill the Law and the Prophets

Jesus’ mission was not to abolish Scripture but to complete it:

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
— Matthew 5:17

Every aspect of His life aligns with God’s redemptive promises. 

7. To Secure Eternal Life for Those Given Him by the Father

Jesus links His mission to a specific people given by the Father:

“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”
— John 6:39–40

This includes resurrection and eternal life.

8. To Destroy the Works of the Devil

His mission had cosmic implications:

“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
— 1 John 3:8

This includes victory over sin, death, and Satan—fully realized at His Second Coming.

(One-Sentence Biblical Summary):

Jesus was sent by the Father to do His will by revealing God, proclaiming the kingdom, offering Himself as a ransom for sinners, fulfilling Scripture, securing eternal life for His people, and ultimately defeating sin, death, and Satan.

(CHATGPT response is in this color text –  my comments are in black or red text):

(1). Although this is still the method and the practices we, as Christians, are to employ in the Great Commission, today, we are not under the time constraints that Jesus was under (His coming and timely crucifixion, resurrection and ascension).

(2). This matter is far from settled. Even the early reformers changed their view over time:

When Christianity became legalized and later dominant, the question changed:

What should Christians do when they are responsible for protecting others?

2. Augustine’s contribution

The Bible had not changed but …

Augustine introduced the Just War framework, arguing:

• Violence can be morally permissible to restrain evil
• Motivation matters: love of neighbor, not hatred of enemies
• Governments bear the sword legitimately (Romans 13)

For Augustine:

• Personal revenge is forbidden
• Protective force may be necessary to preserve life

This marked a shift:

• From martyr church → shepherd society

3. Again the Bible had not changed, but The Reformers (16th century): Two Kingdoms & vocation

Martin Luther

Luther taught the Two Kingdoms doctrine:

• The spiritual kingdom (church): governed by the gospel
• The civil kingdom (state): governed by law and sword

Implications:

• As private individuals, Christians should endure wrongs
• As magistrates, soldiers, or heads of households, Christians may use force to protect others

Luther saw Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as:

• Governing personal ethics
• Not abolishing civil responsibility

John Calvin

Calvin emphasized:

• God ordains civil authority to restrain evil
• Self-defense is lawful when life is threatened
• Vigilante justice is forbidden

Calvin rejected pacifism as:

• Unrealistic in a fallen world
• Potentially enabling injustice

4. The Bible had not changed but Modern Evangelicals: Qualified self-defense

Most modern evangelicals hold:

• Verbal persecution → endure patiently
• Physical violence → self-defense permitted, sometimes required

Typical reasoning:

• Human life bears God’s image (Genesis 9:6)
• Jesus forbade retaliation, not protection
• Loving your neighbor includes stopping harm

Many evangelicals distinguish:

• Persecution for Christ (may involve suffering)
• Criminal violence (may be resisted)

And finally, although the Bible had not changed but some subgroups:

• Anabaptists / Mennonites – continue early church pacifism
• Reformed / Baptist / Pentecostal – defensive force allowed
• Christian self-defense advocates – emphasize stewardship of life

1. Verbal harassment: generally endure, respond wisely, or disengage

Scripture consistently encourages restraint in the face of insults:

• Jesus: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39).
• Peter: “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return” (1 Peter 2:23).
• Paul: “Bless those who persecute you” (Romans 12:14).

This doesn’t mean Christians must be silent doormats. The Bible allows:

• Calm defense or correction (Acts 23:1–5; Jesus answering accusations)
• Setting boundaries (Proverbs 22:3)
• Walking away when words become destructive (Titus 3:10)

Key idea:
Verbal harassment is best met with patience, wisdom, and self-control—not retaliation.

2. Violent attacks: self-defense can be morally permissible

The Bible does not command passivity in the face of physical harm.

Biblical support for self-defense

• Exodus 22:2–3 allows defending against a violent intruder.
• Nehemiah 4:16–18 shows God’s people armed to protect themselves while doing His work.
• Luke 22:36 — Jesus acknowledges the reality of personal danger (though He forbids using violence to advance God’s kingdom).

The consistent biblical pattern:

• Preserving life is good
• Stopping violence is not the same as seeking revenge

3. What Christians must not do

Even when self-defense is justified, Scripture sets limits:

• No revenge (Romans 12:19)
• No hatred or cruelty (Matthew 5:44)
• No violence to advance the gospel (John 18:36)

Self-defense should be:

• Proportionate (only what is necessary)
• Protective, not retaliatory
• Last-resort, not first instinct

4. Jesus as the model

Jesus:

• Endured insults willingly
• Avoided unnecessary danger at times (Luke 4:30)
• Forbade violence to fulfill God’s redemptive plan
• Yet affirmed the value of life and responsibility

Christians are called to imitate Christ’s heart, not necessarily repeat every circumstance of His suffering (He died uniquely as the atoning sacrifice).

A balanced Christian conclusion

• Verbal harassment → endure, respond wisely, disengage when necessary
• Violent attack → defending oneself or others can be morally legitimate
• Always → act without hatred, vengeance, or pride

As Paul says:

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18)

How different Christian traditions (early church, Reformers, modern evangelicals) have answered this—or how this fits within Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount:

Below is a historical-theological overview showing how major Christian traditions have handled self-defense, persecution, and Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, followed by a synthesis.

1. The Early Church (1st–3rd centuries): Radical non-retaliation

Historical context

Early Christians:

• Had no political power
• Were a persecuted minority
• Often faced imprisonment, beatings, and martyrdom

This context deeply shaped their ethics.

Core position

Most early church fathers emphasized:

• Enduring persecution
• Refusing violence
• Imitating Christ’s suffering

Key voices:

• Tertullian: Christians should not retaliate or bear arms
• Origen: Jesus’ commands were literal and binding
• Justin Martyr: Christians had “exchanged swords for plowshares”

Why?

They interpreted Jesus’ words very literally, especially:

• “Do not resist the evil person” (Matt 5:39)
• “Love your enemies” (Matt 5:44)

Martyrdom was seen as:

• A witness to the gospel
• Participation in Christ’s suffering
• A victory, not a defeat

⚠️ Important nuance:

• This was not cowardice
• It was voluntary faithfulness, not inability to resist

2. Augustine & Just War (4th–5th centuries): Love-motivated restrains

5. The Sermon on the Mount: how it fits

“Turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39)

• Refers primarily to personal insult, not lethal threat
• A slap was a shame act, not attempted murder
• Jesus is addressing retaliation, not protection

“Do not resist an evil person”

The Greek implies:

• Do not resist with revenge or vengeance
• Not a blanket prohibition of all resistance

Jesus’ own behavior

• He did not seek violence
• He avoided danger when His time had not come (Luke 4:30)
• He rebuked Peter’s sword because it interfered with redemption—not because all defense is sinful

Jesus’ kingdom advances by:

• Sacrifice, not coercion
• Witness, not force

But this does not nullify:

• Civil justice
• Protection of the innocent
• Responsibility to preserve life

A synthesized Christian framework

Situation: Insults and verbal harassment. Christian Response – Endure, forgive. Harassment – disengage. Personal vengeance – forbidden. Violent attack – defense may be justified. Protection of others – often morally required. Gospel advancement – never by force.

The tension remains intentional:

• Christians are called to be cross-shaped
• Yet live responsibly in a fallen world

Final thought

The Sermon on the Mount shapes the heart posture of Christians:

• Mercy
• Humility
• Love one’s enemy.

Christian tradition then asks:

How do we live this out without abandoning justice, life, and responsibility?

That tension is not a flaw—it is the cost of following Christ in a broken world.

This question fits very naturally with your futurist, pre-millennial, pre-tribulation framework, because Scripture explicitly connects persecution, restraint, and testimony in the end times. I’ll walk through this carefully and biblically.

1. The end-times setting: persecution is expected, not accidental

Jesus repeatedly warned that the closer history moves toward its climax, the more intense persecution becomes:

• Matthew 24:9–10 – believers hated by all nations
• John 15:18–20 – the world treats disciples as it treated Christ
• 2 Timothy 3:12 – “all who desire to live godly… will be persecuted”

This reaches its peak during the Tribulation, when:

• Global political power turns openly hostile to Christ
• Religious coercion is enforced (Revelation 13)
• Faithfulness may cost livelihood—or life

This context shapes Christian response.

2. Pre-Tribulation Rapture: why restraint matters before and after

In a pre-trib view, the Church is removed before God’s wrath (1 Thess. 4:16–17; Rev. 3:10). However:

• Persecution exists before the rapture
• Tribulation saints (those saved after the rapture) still face intense pressure

Key principle:

Persecution is not something the Church is called to defeat—it is something we are called to endure faithfully.

3. Jesus’ end-times instructions: witness, not resistance

When Jesus spoke directly about end-times persecution, His guidance is striking:

“Do not resist” in testimony contexts

“When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak… for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit”
(Matthew 10:19–20)

“This will be your opportunity to bear witness”
(Luke 21:13)

Jesus frames persecution as:

• A platform for testimony
• Not a call to armed resistance

4. The Book of Revelation: two very different kinds of conflict
5. What believers do not do

Believers are never shown:

• Forming militias
• Overthrowing the Beast
• Taking up arms against Antichrist

Instead:

• They overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11)
• They are described as martyrs, not soldiers

1. Who fights in the end

• God fights (Rev. 19)
• Christ returns as Warrior-King
• Judgment belongs exclusively to Him

This is crucial:

Any attempt by believers to violently overthrow Antichrist would be a theological error, not faithfulness.

5. The Mark of the Beast: resistance vs faithfulness

Revelation 13 presents a stark choice:

• Compliance → temporary safety
• Refusal → persecution or death

How do saints respond?

• They refuse idolatry
• They accept consequences
• They do not fight back

“Here is the endurance and faith of the saints.”
(Revelation 13:10)

This is not weakness—it is eschatological obedience.

6. Self-defense vs martyrdom: the key distinction

Biblical distinction

End-times persecution is:

• Systemic
• Ideological
• Religious

Therefore:

• Violent resistance misunderstands the nature of the battle
• The battle is spiritual, not political (Eph. 6:12)

7. Why martyrdom has unique end-times significance

Revelation gives martyrs a special place:

• Revelation 6:9–11 – souls under the altar
• Revelation 20:4 – martyrs reign with Christ
• Revelation 14:12–13 – blessing for those who die in the Lord

Martyrdom is not:

• Sought recklessly
• Avoided at all costs

It is:

• Accepted when faithfulness demands it

8. What this means practically for believers today

Before the end intensifies

Christians should:

• Defend life lawfully
• Protect families responsibly
• Use wisdom and discretion

When persecution becomes explicit and religious

Christians should:

• Refuse compromise
• Speak truth calmly
• Accept suffering without vengeance
• Trust Christ to vindicate

The closer history moves toward Revelation 13–19, the less room there is for violent resistance, and the greater the call to faithful endurance.

9. The paradox of end-times victory

The Church appears defeated—

• imprisoned
• silenced
• killed

Yet Scripture says:

“They conquered him…” (Rev. 12:11)

How?

• Not by swords
• Not by revolutions
• But by faithfulness unto death

Final synthesis

In end-times persecution:

• Self-defense is not the primary calling
• Witness is
• Endurance is victory
• Christ alone brings judgment

Or simply:

The Church does not overthrow the Beast—Christ does.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Although the Bible has not changed in the Twenty-first century, there has been an unforeseen and unimaginable advance of technologies and the prophesied spread of global evil and hatreds. There are assaults by Global Marxist atheist, anti-Semitic and anti-Christian ideologies which are becoming more violent and deadly, and are being justified by its perpetrators. They are able to utilize new technologies to assault their perceived enemies physically, electronically (media and social media), financially (passing laws and using electronic means to track, monitor and oppress).

So perhaps it is time for another “adjustment” to the view of the early Church leaders and reformers when asked,

“Should a Christian defend themselves against verbal harassment or violent attacks” or as when Christianity became legalized and later dominant, the question changed to, “What should Christians do when they are responsible for protecting others?”

(1). We are still to follow the teachings and example of Jesus: Preach and live the Gospel.

(2). We are still responsible to complete the work the He began and commanded (The Great Commission).

(3). Consider adding the framework of the earliest “church model”, the Wilderness Tabernacle.

(4). We may protect ourselves, using only the defensive means necessary to preserve life.

(5). Arrange and keep ourselves in a defensive mode. (obstruct, resist and flee when necessary).

(6). Call on civil authorities for defensive and offensive measures.

(7). Expect some will be martyred.

I think the point is made. However it is often easier to analyze and speculate than to apply principles in a difficult situation. So I will close with these two final remarks:

*“It is not easy to be a Christian, that is, to actually follow Jesus, His model, His teachings and commandments – it is simply impossible. That is, it is impossible unless you are truly His disciple, then it is He who is doing these things through you.”

*“Being a disciple of  Jesus means that you are just dying to follow Him.”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young