Sermon Central
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Persecution Not Prestige
Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Mar 21, 2025 (message contributor)
Summary: Someone failed to tell the Apostles that they were to be the head and not the tail or they would not have suffered so much and only to be executed.
Deuteronomy 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Prosperity preachers like to use this to show that we are all meant to be prosperous. Context is everything. This was a national promise to Israel. It was also conditional. They could not swerve from His commands. It was a straight path with no swerving left or right. Israel failed many times and was conquered and sent into captivity because they went after many gods.
Israel will be the head in the Millennium with Jesus and King David on thrones in Jerusalem. They are in the land today, but as not as the head of the nations as they will be.
We have to be careful to not appropriate promises that are made to other people or in this case, a nation. The New Testament is replete with instances of persecution of the Apostles and others. Hebrews 11:35-40 shows that the righteous do not always prosper as this world sees prosperity. I am afraid it will take an economic collapse to have people wake up and turn from these false teachers.
Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. Someone failed to tell the Apostles that they were to be the head and not the tail or they would not have suffered so much and only to be executed. Someone failed to tell our brethren around the world that are beaten, imprisoned, raped and killed because of their faith in Jesus.
The prosperity gospel is one of pride, arrogance and greed. It literally denies the bible it is supposedly derived from and all such preachers should be ignored. Their popularity only comes from people who follow emotional preaching rather than seeking sound doctrine. Pray for them to repent and teach the true Gospel lest they be accursed having Christ say He never knew them.
