Government Strategy is to Cause Christianity to Die Out

Acts 5:26-42

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

• Peter and other Apostles brought before the Jewish council for continuing to preach of Jesus Christ.
• We ought to obey God than those who put Christ in the grave.
• Gamaliel decided it was best to let the way of Christ to ruin itself.
• Before released, the Apostles were beaten and warned against preaching in the name of Jesus Christ.

Peter and other Apostles brought before the Jewish council for continuing to preach of Jesus Christ.
“Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.” Acts 5:26

Peter, John, and the other Apostles were arrested by the Jewish leaders for preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, a name the Jewish leaders detested. But an Angel of the Lord freed them from prison, and they were found in the temple preaching, [as described in the posts on Acts 5:17-25]. For the Apostles to preach in the name of Jesus was to say anyone can come to God through Jesus Christ instead of relying on the laws of Judaism to come to God. This is where the verses of this post continues from.

The captain of the temple and the officers were those who enforced whatever commands the Pharisees gave to them. They were ordered to remove the Apostles from the temple and to bring them to the Jewish rulers. Today, those who govern and live for the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel are the “captains of the temple and the officers”. They are to remove anyone who is in the temple, our body, while in the presence of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. They habitually work to remove people from the presence of the Holy Spirit. By what they say and do they mandate and enforce that people allow the beast to speak and live through them. This beastly entity is 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 2:4 The “he” in this verse is the “man of sin”. Click here for a post on the “man of sin”.

The Jewish rulers feared the people because the people believed that the Apostles were sent by God and that Jesus was the Christ, Son of God, and Savior of the world. They had their born-again experience and the Holy Spirit as proof of the truth found in our Lord Jesus. If the Jewish rulers would have used violence against the Apostles, those rulers would have been stoned themselves. That is exactly why the Jewish rulers wanted the Apostles to stop teaching in the name of Jesus and why the governors of today’s culture want the same.

Today, we are living in the age of the global falling away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as described in the post on 2 Thessalonians 2. The culture of today, which is global, relishes the putting away of Christianity as they follow the beast who, “…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 slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelations 13:6-8 The “him” in this verse is the beast of the image and mark of the beast. The world has “…become a dwelling for demons and a place for every impure spirit, a place for every unclean bird, a place for every unclean and detestable animal.” Revelations 18:2

 “And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” Acts 5:27-28

In Acts 4:18, the Apostles were warned as quoted, “So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.” Acts 4:18 However, the Apostles continued to lift up the name of Jesus Christ, as quoted, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20 That is why the high priest said, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?” Today, we Christians are commanded to not speak in the name of Jesus Christ. There are nations across the globe that are literally giving direct commands not to be Christians, such as in China, Russia, Africa, North Korea, Iran, and many others. In fact, the majority of the nations that are members of the United Nations are atheists and anti-Christian. When the United Nations become the undisputed one world government the practices of the countries mentioned above will be everywhere.

In the United States, the command not to speak in the name of Jesus Christ might not be as blunt as in the previously mentioned nations, but they are still loudly heard. The command not to be Christian is heard through the process of behavioral modification. There is social disapproval, verbal hostilities, isolation, strife, conflict, abuses, usuary, fraud, and hostile tones of every sort when we are known to believe in God, acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and embrace the Holy Spirit. If we abandoned the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, abandoned our born-again testimony, then positive social approval would be showered on us by feeding our dignity, building our self-esteem, giving us honor, respect, and every type of worldly and physical flatteries. Through behavioral modification, today’s culture is mandating that we live for the beast that gives what to speak, do, think, and feel.

The Jewish rulers hated that the Apostles were spreading Jesus’ message all over Jerusalem and blaming them for his crucifixion. Today, those who govern and live for the atheistic culture have that same despise for we who live for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They do not want the message of the Cross to spread through their community because it reveals them as the government and culture of the beast. They do not want the entity that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel to be seen as the one who sets in the temple of God, our body, as if it is God as described in the post on 2 Thessalonians 2. This is the one who gives life to the image of the beast to speak and live through people as they are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do. Click here for a post on the extermination of Christian births from Revelations 12.

We ought to obey God rather than those who put Christ in the grave.
“But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29

The response of Peter and the other Apostles should be our response to those of today’s culture. They want us to abandon speaking in the name of Jesus Christ to follow their values and teachings. They have adopted the teachings of human beings which is summed up in the values of humanism. Humanism is the fig leaf worn by those who live and govern for the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel. Our Lord Jesus says, “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matthew 15:9 Those of the atheistic culture honor one another with dignity, respect, and social approval but reject the honor that comes from God, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

Humanism is “…an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems…”

“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.” Acts 5:30

The Lord God raised up Jesus Christ whom those of today’s culture murders and crucifies every day by their faith in humanity while rejecting belief in God, rejecting Jesus Christ who forgives unbelief, and rejecting the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of Christ and all of Christianity are being driven into extinction, as described in Revelations 12.

“Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31

God has placed our Lord Jesus on His right hand as His Christ and Savior of the world, as quoted, “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

The Jewish people were offered repentance and the forgiveness of sin, but they rejected Jesus Christ, as quoted, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:11-13

Israel has been in 18 wars since they day established as the State of Israel in 1948. Click here for a list of those 18 wars. If the Jewish people would have said “Yes” to Jesus 2000 years ago, the Jewish State of Israel would never have existed, and they would not be experiencing the tumult, conflict, and hardship they are experiencing today. That’s because as Christians, we do not have a country on this earth to call our own, our nation is in the New Jerusalem of the new heaven and earth. God gathered the Jewish people to Israel in 1948 as the place where He unleashes His judgment on them for their unbelief, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury on you.’” Ezekiel 22:19-22

“And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Acts 5:32

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are witnesses to everything Peter is speaking about in the name of Jesus. Our born-again experience is that witness as is also the Holy Spirit in us, who is our guarantee of eternal life, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” John 1:13-14 We are the purchased possession, purchased by the blood shed on the Cross to atone for sin, and our redemption is the resurrection from the dead and eternal life.

“When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them.” Acts 5:33

The Jewish leaders were furious to hear Peter and the Apostles vowing to continue speaking in the name of Jesus. The Jewish rulers vowed to kill the Apostles. Today’s culture is furious against the followers of Jesus Christ and vow to put an end to Christianity. That’s because they claim the human body as the possession of the beast that gives people what to speak, do, think, and feel. But we claim the human body as the home of the Holy Spirit.

Today, the followers of Jesus Christ are literally being imprisoned, persecuted, and put to death in countries such as Africa, China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, etc. In fact, the majority of the nations of the United Nations are atheists that oppose the existence of Christianity. When the United Nations become the undisputed one world government, the followers of Jesus Christ will be viewed as social outlaws in every country across the globe.

In the United States, Christianity is being imprisoned, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is prohibited from spreading. That is happening as the churches have abandoned the message of the Cross to partner with community values. Government lawmakers no longer integrate the values of the Bible in laws, policies, and executive orders. The educational system prohibits the teaching of the Bible in classrooms and Christianity is not wanted in any sector of society.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

Gamaliel decided it was best to let the way of Christ to ruin itself.
“Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while.” Acts 5:34

Before Paul said “Yes” to Jesus Christ, he was a student of Gamaliel, as quoted, “I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.” Acts 22:3 In other words, Paul had Gamaliel’s approval to persecute Christians, put them in jail, force them to blaspheme, and vote to have them killed. Paul was still doing all of that during this time in Acts 5 and didn’t become a follower of Jesus Christ until later in Acts 9:1-31.

Now we know how ruthless Gamaliel was against those of the way of Jesus Christ as he is the one who supported Paul’s persecution of Christianity. Gamaliel was respected by all the Jewish people and commanded to have the Apostles put outside while he plotted a strategy against them. In today’s culture, the respected leaders of communities are those who are making decisions against the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all of Christianity. They put Christians outside away from their decision-making. They also have influence over those who willingly persecute belief in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit [like Gamaliel’s influence over Saul/Paul]. This is the nature of today’s culture who govern and live for the beast that gives them what to do, speak, feel, and think.

“And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.” Acts 5:35-37

Gamaliel’s strategy was a hands-off approach, which was to refrain from pursuing active harm against the way of Jesus Christ nor to offer any help to them. Gamaliel compared the Apostles to the rebels of Theudas and Judas of Galilee. Both were rebels who ended being killed and their following disbanded. In today’s culture, the hope is that Christianity will just fade away, die out, and drift into extinction. This is done by not offering any governing support to the spread of Christianity while refraining from overtly hostile acts against individual followers of Jesus Christ. At the same time, this means that there is not any help on the grassroots level to Christians in a hostile community culture. In essence, we are considered rebels to the values of the atheistic culture, which is global.

The Holy Spirit speaks these words to us, “…be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Titus 3:1-2

Billy Grahm was a true follower of Jesus Christ who preached the Gospel message of the Cross, the forgiveness of sin through Jesus, the resurrection, eternal life, the judgment to come, and Heaven and Hell. His crusades were carried on major television networks [such as ABC, NBC, and CBS] for four days in a week once a year. His public ministry ended in 2005, or before, and no one has ever replaced him. Nowadays, the programming of major television networks is far, far removed from what Billy Grahm was bringing to the audience. What has happened to all of his viewers? I, for one, am still here as I continue to spread the Gospel message, “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

Most of the Apostles were martyred, not as violent and armed rebels, but for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the whosoever. The Apostle John, who wrote the Gospel of John, wrote 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and wrote the book of Revelations died of old age on the Isle of Patmos. He was banished to the Isle of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelations. Even though most of the Apostles were slain, the way of Christ did not disband but grew and grew and grew to global proportions as we see today, 2000 years later.

“And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” Acts 5:38-39

The strategy of today’s culture towards Christianity is very much the same as Gamaliel’s, “…keep away from these men and let them alone…”. In other words, the strategy is to ignore those who speak of belief in God, acknowledge the need for Jesus Christ to forgive unbelief, and who embrace the presence of the Holy Spirit. Today’s culture forms through unbelief, scoffing at the need for Jesus Christ, and through opposition to the Holy Spirit.

Today’s culture hopes to extinguish the Gospel of Jesus Christ by ignoring it, as Gamaliel said, “…for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing…” The Church was growing by multitudes, regardless of how hard the Jewish rulers wanted to ignore it, and regardless of how many followers of Jesus Christ were killed. The growth of the way of Christ reached global proportions, to all seven continents, is still alive today within the faithful few, and will continue until the return of Jesus Christ. As Gamaliel said, “…but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”

Before released, the Apostles were beaten and warned against preaching in the name of Jesus Christ.
“And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.” Acts 5:40

In the previous section, Gamaliel suggested to the Jewish leaders that they let the Apostles go and eventually the way of Jesus Christ would fade out and come to nothing. The Jewish leaders agreed. However, before the Apostles were released, the Jewish leaders beat them and commanded that they should never again speak in the name of Jesus Christ. This reveals that the Jewish leaders had no relationship with the Holy Spirit and had no experience in the life of Holiness by the sanctification of the spirit. They were filled with despise, vengeance, anger, wrath, jealousy, and murder towards the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were bitter because people everywhere were being taught that serving God came through faith in Jesus Christ not through the laws of Judaism.

Those of today’s culture lives by the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and feel, while opposing the presence of the Holy Spirit living within the conscience. Their intent is to cause the fading away of the existence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by beating Believers with social disapproval and antagonism. They do not want to hear anyone speaking of the need for the repentance of unbelief through Jesus Christ.

“So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Acts 5:41

After being beaten, the Apostles didn’t plot revenge, harbor resentment, hold a grudge, nor allowed any bitterness to take root within themselves. Instead, they rejoiced that they were worthy to suffer for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what our sanctification and the life of Holiness is all about. Whatever we suffer for our belief in God and for acknowledging our need for Jesus is rewarding for we who live in the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit in us rejoices when we stand firm in the faith we have in our Lord Christ Jesus.

Living in America, I know the grueling strife and conflict that we face every day as Christians and I know how important it is to keep any resentment, grudge, or vengeance under the blood of Jesus Christ. “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing...For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed in us.” James 1:2-4, Romans 8:18

“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” Acts 5:42

After the Apostles were beaten, they continued to teach and preach that Jesus is the Christ in every house they entered and daily in the temple. They persevered in their faith, they “weathered the storm”. We also must have that perseverance, “But let perseverance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing…and to perseverance godliness…” James 1:4, 2 Peter 1:6

There is a battle over the temple of God, our body. Today’s culture claims the body as the possession of the beast that has power over physiology to give people what to speak, think, feel, and do. We dedicate our body as the home of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to be there every day. The god this world serves makes itself to be greater than God by sitting in the body as if it is God, as quoted, “…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 2:4 The “he” in this verse is the “man of sin”. Click here for a post on the “man of sin”.

“….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