Saul turns away from pursuing David to fight an armed invasion: The global government prioritizes quelling violence over Christian persecution.

1 Samuel 23:27-29

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

 “But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!” 1 Samuel 23:27 

Saul gathered his army to pursue David in the wilderness to kill him. However, in the process a message was sent to Saul that an army had invaded his kingdom. Saul had to set his priority of whether it was more important to kill David or to turn around and fight against the invaders of his territory.

Today, there is a push to kill the Spirit of Christ in this world and to eliminate the presence of Christianity. As the days progress towards the global tribulation, the world will be filled with all sorts of violence, armed rebels, and powerful military opposition. The tumult eventually leads to the Battle Armageddon. It will be a matter of setting priorities of whether the global government of the beast wants to continue pursuing Christianity or to address the direct threat of weaponized violence in the world.

The irony is that during the periods when the global government of the beast has relative peace from military conflict in the world, the target becomes those who live by the teachings of the Bible. Peace for the global government means affliction, hardships, persecution, suffering, and death for Christians.

Unfortunately for the global government, their time on earth is plagued with tumult, on top of global warming (Revelation 16:8-9), the black-out of their power center of the beast (Revelation 16:10-11), and the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:12-16). Through all of the turmoil on this earth, there will always be a faithful few who are able to hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Jeus Christ constantly tells us to follow His Gospel of peace and refrain from physical rebellion against government authority. When it comes right down to it, government authorities set their priorities to put down the actual presence of violence in the world. Those who live by the Spirit of Christ are not an actual physical threat to any governing authority. Jesus Christ did not come to destroy but to save, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Those who live by the thing which forms what they think, feel, do, and speak do not want people to live in the Spirit of Christ. Their purpose is to attack Christians by blaspheming the Holy Spirit, discarding the need for Jesus Christ, and denying God. They allow the image of the beast to live and speak through them as everything they do and say is designed to destroy the Gospel of peace. As it lives and speaks through them, they are conformed to their place in life by what they say and do. They are conformed to their mark in life as they are groomed to the mark of the beast. As Christians living among them, we respond with peace to their affliction.

Without the Spirit of Christ, there is constant conflict in the world. Family members come against one another, neighbors against one another, students against one another, co-workers against one another, and nations against one another. In the Spirit of Christ, we come apart from what is going on in the world and we do all we can to live peaceably with all people.

 “Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape. Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi.” 1 Samuel 23:28-29

The global government of the beast will set their priorities to put down actual armed rebellion than to waste time and resources pursuing peaceful Christians. The “Rock of Escape” is the Lord Jesus Christ who gives us the Holy Spirit who gives us peace. He gives us a solid internal peace in the spirit, not like the fragile peace of this world.

Jesus Christ is our Rock in many forms, and each of those forms represent the Holy Spirit living in us by the remission of sin. He enables us to walk in Holiness in very difficult circumstances.

• Jesus Christ is the Rock of our Escape.
• Jesus is the Rock of our Salvation,
  “He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’” Psalms 89:26
• Jesus is the Cleft of the Rock in whom we take refuge,
  “So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.” Exodus 33:22
• Jesus is the Rock that provides the sweet honey of the Holy Spirit,
  “He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.” Psalms 81:16
• Jesus is the Rock of the Water of Life, who was crucified so that we could drink,
  “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Exodus 17:6

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11