Salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Matthew 5:13-16

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

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how will it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13

Salt, in the day of Jesus, was used for about the same purposes of today, as a preservation for food as well as for seasoning food. If salt did lose its flavor, there would be no way to inject new flavor into the salt. The salt would be thrown in the garbage or on the ground and be trampled on.

Jesus calls us the salt of the earth. How are we able to preserve the earth and be the seasoning within this world? All of humanity has a desire for preservation, some find that preservation through the ways of this world. There are a lot of ways that humanity is lifted up as the salt and seasoning of the earth. Today, the global culture esteems themselves as being the salvation of the planet and humanity as they embrace the “Sustainable Development Goals” of the United Nations. They promote conservation of resources, responsible consumption, and slowing down the production of products. The world is a mess with resources becoming scarce, “natural” catastrophes becoming more frequent, climate change bringing sever consequences, and global warming! Global warming is the Fourth Plague of Revelations 16:8-9.

While the planet steadily loses its preservation abilities, humanity gathers themselves together as a global culture. From city to city around the world, they are united in one purpose, to bring an earthly Garden of Eden to preserve humanity and the planet. This is what the Lord says about calling themselves the salt of the earth, “A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. a people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them…A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing will escape them.” Joel 2:2-3

Being the salt of the earth comes from within our heart and soul, a place where humanity cannot reach, but a place that holds the key to the preservation of life. It’s a place where we realize we cannot save the planet and humanity by human efforts because it is a sin problem rooted in human nature. Salvation requires the presence of the Holy Spirit to live within us and that only happens from the Cross of Christ where sin is put in remission. By faith in Jesus Christ, our unbelief is forgiven, our sins are in remission, and we are given the Holy Spirit. How do we know if we have the Holy Spirit? If we do not speak against Jesus and say that He is Lord then we have the Holy Spirit, “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3

The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and the rejection of Jesus Christ, convicts of the need for righteousness to guide us into Holiness, and convicts of the judgment to come as a result of the consequence of sin, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” John 16:8

Even today’s culture agrees that the solution to the problems of the planet is found within the person. That is why they serve the beast that has power over physiology to give them what to feel, think, say, and do. At the same time, the preservation value of the “salt of the earth” is being drained. The beast opposes the Holy Spirit because it cannot function in that “Salty” presence. The beast rejects the Cross of Jesus Christ because the forgiveness of sin brings the Holy Spirit, Who seasons us with “Salt”. The beast rejects belief in God the Creator because it wants to sit itself up as God within the temple of God, our body. The flavor drains from the “Salt” as people welcome the beast that is given breath/life to speak by speaking and living through them. By what they are given to say and do, people are being conformed to the mark, number, name of the beast.

As the beast drains the flavor of the Salt from within the temple of God, the human body, the salt is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. That describes the day of lawlessness when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way. People are no longer convicted of sin, no longer convicted of righteousness, and no longer convicted of judgment. The Holy Spirit restrains lawlessness and is our Preserver, “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 Click for a post on the “lawless one”.

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Along with being the salt of the earth by the presence of the Holy Spirit living in us, we are the light of the world. We are the light of the world whether we say a word or not because the Spirit of Christ shines through us. Today’s culture has become dark from serving the power of darkness through the beast that gives them what to say, do, think, and feel. The population is so dark from the sin within themselves that a little light is easily seen.

In this dark world rooted in sin, we are the only light that anybody will see. We are those who have been convicted of our sins, came to the Cross of Christ for the repentance of our unbelief, we feel convicted to live a life of righteousness through Jesus Christ, and we felt convicted of the judgment to come to those who live by the power of darkness. When those of today’s culture see us, they know we are different because we shine as someone not living by sin, there is an atmosphere of righteousness around us, and we do not involve ourselves with behaviors that we know brings the wrath of God. While everyone around us are saying and doing things against belief in God, against Jesus Christ, and against the Holy Spirit, we do not. They despise us, mock us, afflict us, and say all types of things against us.

While our Lord Jesus calls us the light of the world, it is only because it is His Light that lives in us, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19

We are the city set on the hill because no matter where we go, everyone around us can see us. They know by the light of our spirit that the power of darkness is not what we live by. We desire to do and say things that are in the presence of the Holy Spirit and not flowing from the sin-inspired words of the beast.

We do not hide our light under a basket, but we place it on a lampstand where our faith in Jesus Christ is evident, where the righteousness of our heart and mind is easily seen, and where we warn of the judgment to come to those who live by the image of the beast that is given breath/life to speak by speaking and living through people. We want to be a light to everyone around us, even if we are muted, censored, and prohibited from speaking in the name of Jesus.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

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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