Gospel of Christ and Christianity are under heavy guard.

Acts 23:23-24

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

“And he called for two centurions, saying, “Prepare two hundred soldiers; seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night; and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” Acts 23:23-24

In the post on Acts 23:16-22, there was a conspiracy to assassinate Paul, while he was under arrest and under the guard of Roman soldiers. The Jewish people and their leaders were stirred up against Paul as they accused him of being in the temple of God unlawfully. The Romans arrested Paul for inciting the riots of the Jewish people [as described in the posts on Acts 21:27-36]. The plan of the Roman commander was to transport Paul away from the Jewish mob and send him about 70 miles away to Caesarea of Judea. That is where Paul would be imprisoned for a little over two years under the watch of Governor Felix [Acts 24:27] before being sent to Rome. Paul was imprisoned in Rome for another two years before his execution, Acts 24:27.

The Roman commander was in charge of the Roman centurions, and each Roman centurion was in charge of 100 soldiers. The centurions were to organize 200 soldiers to escort Paul to Caesarea [the capital of Judea] and away from the Jewish mobs trying to kill him. This would have been two hundred spearmen, 70 on horseback and 130 on foot. The foot soldiers did the ground fighting while the horsemen guarded over the spearmen. With Paul being put on a horse, they all began their journey around 9:00 at night. The road from Jerusalem to Caesarea was dangerous territory, with murderous rebels against Romans, and people who would rob and murder those passing through.

Today, there are mobs of people that want the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Christianity to be dead. They are the masses of people of today’s culture who live for the entity that replaces the conscience and spirit to give people what to speak, do, think, and feel. “Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb…” Revelation 13:6-8 The “he” in this verse is the beast of the image and mark of the beast.

Christianity is escorted away from “mainstream” society of today’s culture, which is global. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are escorted to the prison of our private quarters, not to mingle with the society of today’s culture. We are under guard by the “foot soldiers” who are the people of the grassroot culture. They despise hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and work to shut out the word of God. The “horsemen” are the community leaders, managers at work, governing authorities, school administration, politicians etc. who watch over the grassroot “solders”. They ensure that nothing happens to the people of their society and ensure that they are ever ready to isolate belief in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

To isolate the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to isolate the Holy Spirit, and our Lord Jesus is the Light of the world. As the testimony of Jesus Christ is isolated, the darkness comes and no one is able to work to share His Gospel, as Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:4-5

In the spiritual darkness, comes a dangerous land filled with lawlessness. Without the Light of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is isolated, and He is the one who restrains lawlessness, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 The “he” in this verse is the “man of sin”. Click here for a post on the “man of sin”.

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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