Negative impact to the economy causes the whole community to come against Paul and Silas.

Acts 16:19-24

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

“But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.” Acts 16:19

The Holy Spirit is letting us know that those of this world takes vengeance against we who are not beneficial to the atheistic culture.

In the previous post of Acts 16:16-18, a servant woman was practicing “fortune-telling” for the purpose of driving wealth to her masters. Paul cast the demon out of her and the financial profits of her masters disappeared. It was then that the masters of wealth grabbed hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

In today’s atheistic society, Christianity is considered a financial liability and drain to the economic profits of the community culture. That’s because the resources we have are spent in the will of God, through Christ, in the presence of the Holy Spirit. If we were wealthy and influential, we would not invest into the atheistic culture of today. We live by the words of Jesus who says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

Our heart is not with the community culture that lives for the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel. Their resources do not motivate us to deny God, reject Jesus Christ, and oppose the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The economists of today’s culture, which is global, understand the secular meaning of Jesus’ words who knows their thoughts, “But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Mattthew 12:25 In an atheistic economy, dividing resources to a culture of Christianity is considered to be depleting the profits that they intend to go to their atheistic culture. The more people who come to Jesus Christ the more impoverished the atheistic culture becomes. Therefore, the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is dragged to the authorities to complain about the effects of Christianity on the economy.

When Paul and Silas were dragged into the marketplace to the authorities, the marketplace was diving towards a recession. The masters of wealth were no longer able to keep the marketplace afloat. The authorities at the marketplace saw how much of an economic decline was about to happen and Paul and Silas were those held responsible. At this point, Paul and his companions converted a very wealthy and influential woman named Lydia to Jesus Christ [[Acts 16:11-15]] and cast out a demon from a woman who was giving predictions to increase the wealth of her masters. An economic recession had befallen the marketplace

“And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” Acts 16:20-21

The Holy Spirit is letting us know that we who live for Jesus are accused of being against and making trouble for today’s atheistic culture and their way of doing things.

Paul and Silas were sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and converting wealthy, influential, and profit-making people. They were brought to the magistrates for “troubling the city” and driving the economy into a recession. Magistrates were community authorities or judges responsible for maintaining order and administering justice. In today’s world, we all know how much local, state, national, and global authorities rely on the economy to maintain law and order in communities. In their belief, social and economic policies are the key to the salvation of humanity, but they oppress the presence of the Holy Spirit who restrains lawlessness. They do not feel a need for Jesus Christ who gives the Holy Spirit but rely on economics for law and order. Their god is rooted in the prosperity of this world as they deny the Living God.

Paul and Silas were teaching that faith in Jesus Christ is all that is needed to be reconciled to God and that the laws of Judaism are not needed to live for God. Converts began investing into the culture of the way of Christ and away from the worldly culture. Today, we followers of Jesus Christ believe that faith in Jesus Christ makes our body the temple of the Holy Spirit. We do not teach that we need to serve the god of this world that makes our body the temple of the beast that speaks and lives through people everywhere. By today’s atheistic culture, Christianity is considered to cause social and economic trouble within communities. We come apart from the values of today’s culture, and we are not focused on the social/economic prosperity of this world. As Jesus taught us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

“Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.” Acts 16:22

The Holy Spirit is letting us know that the people of the community, and those in authority, are unified in their responses against Christianity.

In unison, the multitude of people rose up against Paul and Silas. This is happening today against the followers of Jesus Christ. Those of the community are synchronized in what they say and do by the beast that governs through their words, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. From place to place in the community, from city to city, from nation to nation, the global culture rises up in unison against Christianity. That’s because we put faith in Jesus Christ above materialism and above the god of this world that speaks and lives through people.

The governing authorities, who are charged with keeping law and order, are outraged at the followers of Jesus Christ who refuse to adapt to the customs and culture of today’s atheistic society. We are being beaten with the rods of demeaning words, aggressive attitudes, hostility, social disapproval of all types, and even physical aggression. Christians of many countries around the world are literally being persecuted and killed. Our Lord Jesus says to us, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” John 15:18-20

“And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.” Acts 16:23-24

The Holy Spirit is letting us know that those who support the Gospel of Jesus Christ, over the atheistic social/economic system, are kept imprisoned to prevent the testimony of Jesus from spreading through their community. In the United States, that prison is to silence the Good News, but in many countries around the world the persecution and being put in prison is literal.

The hostility of today’s community culture, that comes against the followers of Jesus Christ, is to imprison the Gospel of Jesus and to oppress the presence of the Holy Spirit. We are put into the “inner prison” by the entity that has power over physiology and controls thoughts and feelings. The purpose is to beat our thoughts and feelings to the point of not wanting to, or not being able to, speak and do for the way of Jesus Christ. Our feet are put in stocks to prevent the spread of the testimony of Jesus. “It is the sword that slays, the sword that slays the great men, that enters their private chambers”. Ezekiel 21:14 Click here for a post on Ezekiel 21. 

A time of literal imprisonment is coming [and now is for many Christians in countries across the globe] as the United Nations progresses in becoming the one world government of the beast. China has already imprisoned Christianity by declaring it a crime to spread Christian “propaganda” on the internet, social media, and to have “religious” gatherings outside the state sponsored church. Christians are given seven-year prison terms for being a leader of the way of Christ. At the same time, countries are forming warmer relationships with China in the name of economic prosperity, law, and order. What China is doing is happening in places around the world.

Christians are being imprisoned and killed in places of Africa, China, Russia, North Korea, and many more. In fact, the majority of countries in the United Nations are atheists whose intent is to eliminate the way of Jesus Christ. When the United Nations become the undisputed one world government there will be persecution of the followers of Jesus Christ in every city around the world. That will be far worse than the elimination of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is here in the United States.

Nations and people [including the United States] are being governed by the one “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 The “he” in this verse is the “man of sin”. Click here for a post on the “man of sin”. Our body is the temple of God and the beast sets within us with the power over physiology to give people what to speak, do, think, and feel.

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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, 3:1