Expect Persecution, Not Prosperity

2 Timothy 3:10 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

When you look at Paul's resume, you better know he did not know anything about any prosperity preaching. He had to suffer long due to persecutions and afflictions, not over whether he needed a new private jet or a Lamborghini or should he buy the five million dollar house or the ten million.

Lest you think that was just him, note he said ALL who will live godly, not luxuriously, SHALL suffer persecution. Menno Simons said that the true Church will always be persecuted. Western civilization seems to have a lack of true churches. That may be changing soon.

Rather than checking out our relationship to God based on all the bling we have, we should be looking for our scars. They may be physical, emotional, social, familial or even corporate, but there should be some sort of persecution or Paul says we are not living very godly or may not be godly at all. OUCH!!!

For a culture who is all about the blessings of material things that we deserve because we are God's children or as some heretics teach that we are little gods this a body slam followed by a pile driver.

Prosperity and persecution start with p, but that is the only similarity. Is prosperity indeed a sign of God blessing or godliness? Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into Heaven. There are many wicked rich people in this world. He also told the richest church in Revelation that there were poor, blind and naked. OOPS!

It has been said that all of the churches in Revelation have existed in every generation. If we look around the world, I believe we could find "daughters" in this age. That said, if we had to pick a church that defines this age it would be Laodicea at least in the 1st World nations. There are some very godly Christians enduring persecution all around the world. They are the church at Smyrna who was in tribulation and poverty, but Jesus said they were rich.

I believe it is in early stages in the US and it will greatly intensify in the coming years. One need not be a prophet to see this. One must just be aware. Two Canadian social scientists have been encouraging their government to prepare for an influx of Americans as they see the country collapsing in 2025. I do not know what indicators they are looking at, but I can see that as very plausible. Christians will not be very welcome there and some notable ones who might head to that border may be arrested for what they consider hate speech or other issues.

We are into celebrity preachers, modern Taj Mahal like churches and we are all to be rich and healthy by the things we decree and declare into being. It has been said that if Jesus preached like many preachers today He would not have been crucified. Not sure why God calls the weak, base and foolish if we are all to be rich and celebrated. Someone failed to tell that to myriad of martyrs from Acts 2 until today and His return. What kind of losers are those under the throne that are martyred in the Tribulation? Why did they not not walk in prosperity, decreeing and declaring a better life? Yet, these saint will be avenged by God. If God is avenging you, I would call that being a winner.

John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

Was Jesus wrong when He said we would be hated like Him? Are we really greater than Him so that we do not suffer persecution? We can easily look about and see that the world and even much of what is called Christianity has not kept His saying. Indeed, many have gone off into New Age or Hindu Kundalini manifestations. Many have leaders that deny the authority of the Scriptures. They say there is no heaven or Hell and Jesus is not God in the flesh and the list would most likely take up two pages or more and I would probably still miss many things that I have just not heard of, yet.