The Promotion of Persecution

I have mentioned this before, but I feel led to address it again; we are about to enter a Season of Persecution. God is getting ready to release His Judgment upon this nation, and when He does, either you're going to stand with Him and for Him, or you're going to stand against Him. However, for the elect and chosen of God, this is not a period for which we need to be afraid or frightened. This is a time in which we need to rejoice. Jesus said in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew that when people persecute us for His Name's sake to "rejoice and be exceeding glad". The reason why we need to rejoice is because the Persecution is actually a Promotion.

When Jesus was inaugurated as the Son of God by the baptism of John the Baptist (Matthew 3), the next thing we see is the Spirit leading Him into the wilderness to undergo Satanic attack (Matthew 4). Many of us are waiting for the promotion that God has revealed to us in regards to our Calling and our Destiny. But what we need to realize is that along with this promotion will be automatic persecution. The anointings and offices that some of us are about to receive are going to be a direct threat to the kingdom of darkness. So there's no way that Satan is going to sit back and not set up an assault against us. But remember, God is in total control. This is why the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be subjected to this type of satanic harassment. It was to further prepare Him for the battles He was going to face once He went into total warfare. For this reason saints, once you are elevated, once you are promoted, once you receive the manifestation of your calling from the Father, know that you're going to experience the Promotion of Persecution. You're going to be satanically attacked. But it's all for our good (Romans 8).

Then remember how, once Jesus passed the test in the wilderness, He came out with power (Luke 4). After He then goes into the synagogue and announces His Messianic Mission out of Isaiah 61, the next scene we see is the people trying to throw Jesus off a cliff. Once again, the promotion is followed by persecution. The first persecution Jesus experienced was in the spirit realm (at the hands of Satan). The second wave of persecution Jesus experienced was at the hands of the people (the people of God at that). This is the order saints. We must begin to allow the Holy Spirit to prepare us, not just for the promotion, but for the persecution that accompanies it. This throws a lot of God's servants off because they're not prepared for it. Get prepared. And if you need one more, after Jesus rode into Jerusalem at the cries of Hosanna (Matthew 21), the celebration was followed by the persecution of the Cross. It's the order saints. We can't get around it. If you're serious and sincere about fulfilling the Kingdom Call that God has placed on your life, then you must prepare for The Promotion of Persecution.