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Luke 9 Previous Chapter \| Next Chapter ¹ Then Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ² And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ³ And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, neither staffs, nor bag, nor food, nor money, and do not have two coats apiece. ⁴ Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. ⁵ And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off even the dust from your feet, as a testimony against them." ⁶ Then they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. ⁷ Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Jesus, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, ⁸ And by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. ⁹ And Herod said, "I have beheaded John; but who is this of whom I hear such things?" And he sought to see him. ¹⁰ Now when they returned, the apostles told Jesus all that they had done. And he took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. ¹¹ But when they discovered it, the people followed him; and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. ¹² And when the day began to decline, the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding towns and country and lodge and get food there, for we are here in a deserted place. ¹³ But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have only five loaves and two fish; unless we go and buy food for all these people." ¹⁴ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down by groups of fifties." ¹⁵ And they did so, and everyone sat down. ¹⁶ Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷ And they ate and were all filled; and they gathered up twelve baskets of fragments that remained. ¹⁸ Now it came to pass, when he was alone praying, that his disciples were with him, and he asked them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?" ¹⁹ And they answered, saying, "Some say John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others say, that one of the old prophets has risen again." ²⁰ Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, saying, "The Christ of God." ²¹ And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, ²² Saying, "The Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain and be raised again the on third day." ²³ And he said to them all, "If any man desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. [To follow is to be led by the Spirit. To be led, you must persistently and patiently sit in humble silence to wait on the Lord, as you listen for his word within your heart to speak to you; then you must obey Him. Self-denial occurs by obeying the Lord's commands you hear instead of your will, (His will, not your will); this is the inward cross of self-denial. First, He will lead you out of darkness to a sinless state; to then guide your thoughts, words, and works; which works show His glory and love to the world.] ²⁴ For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. [When you continually deny yourself and obey the Lord's commands, you will eventually die to your selfish life on the inward cross of self-denial, and thereby save your soul to live Life in union with God. You lose your life at the conclusion of your crucifixion of self, with many many acts of commanded repentance, several trials with suffering, and then the baptism of fire, which is the baptism of death. For detail on this baptism of fire and death, see the footnote to Matthew 3:12 on this site.] ²⁵ For what profit is it to a man, if he gains the whole world and loses himself [his soul] or is cast away [into outer darkness]?¹ ²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his own glory and in the glory of his Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ But I tell you the truth, there are some standing here, who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."² [The New Testament is full of references to the second appearance of Jesus being then, not thousands of years later. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus is recorded saying that some then standing with him, 2000 years ago, would see his glorious coming in the clouds with the Kingdom before they died. In addition Paul, Jesus preaching, Jesus in Revelation, Peter, James, and John, — all said, soon, the time is near, a little while, he stands at the door. Christendom blithely ignores this gaping incongruity between what the Bible plainly states vs. what they are taught by their blind guides. It would be a cruel hoax to be waiting on Him to appear if the past 100 generations of believers actually had no hope of ever seeing Him. From the Word of the Lord within: "The kingdom, the grand prize. Seek first the kingdom, and all else will be provided — provided you stay on course. Do not be misled; you must enter the kingdom while on earth. You can live in heaven and still walk the earth."] ²⁸ And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that he took Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he prayed, the appearance of his face was changed, and his robe became white and glistering. ³⁰ And behold, two men talked with him, who were Moses and Elijah, ³¹ Who appeared in glory and spoke of his death, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² But Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they awakened, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ And it came to pass, that as the two men were leaving him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three shelters — one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah;" not realizing what he was saying. ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they feared as they entered into the cloud. ³⁵ And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to [believe, and obey] him." [This applies to all of us. We must hear the Lord speak to us and then obey; to obey is to follow. From the Word of the Lord within: "Follow precisely; do not deviate."] ³⁶ And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it quite, and told no one in those days any of those things which they had seen. ³⁷ Then on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, many people met him. ³⁸ And a man from the crowd cried out, saying, "Master, I beg you, look upon my son, for he is my only child; ³⁹ And a spirit seizes him and he suddenly cries out. And it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; it hardly ever departs from him, bruising him. ⁴⁰ I implored your disciples to cast him out, but they could not." ⁴¹ And Jesus answering said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here." ⁴² And as he was coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the child and delivered him again to his father. ⁴³ They were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while everyone wondered at all things that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ "Let these words sink into your ears: the Son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men." ⁴⁵ But they did not understand this saying; and it was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him the meaning of it. ⁴⁶ Then there arose an argument among them as to which of them would be greatest. ⁴⁷ And Jesus, knowing the thought of their heart, took a child and set him beside him, ⁴⁸ And said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you, the same shall be the greatest." ⁴⁹ Then John said, "Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name and we forbade him, because he is not one of us." ⁵⁰ And Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him. For whoever is not against us is for us."³ ⁵¹ Then it came to pass, when the time had come for him to be taken up to heaven, that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, ⁵² And sent messengers before him; and they entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him. ⁵³ But the people would not receive him, because his face was set as though he was going to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you wish us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?" ⁵⁵ But he turned and rebuked them, saying, "You do not know what sort of spirit you are of.⁴ [The disciples had not yet been cleansed and purified by the baptism of fire at Pentecost, so they were still under control of the spirit of Satan, as are all men until they have been crucified on the inward cross of self-denial. This verse proves that all the Protestant and Catholic sects that killed, (or even approved of killing), those with a different religious opinion were very different from real Christians; in even considering murder, they were following and yielding to their father the devil, who was the murderer from the beginning.] ⁵⁶ For the Son of man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." And they went to another village. ⁵⁷ Then it came to pass, as they went on their way, that a certain man said to him, "Lord, I will follow you wherever you go." ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." ⁵⁹ And he said to another, "Follow me." But he said, Lord, allow me to first go and bury my father. ⁶⁰ But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their dead; but you go and preach the kingdom of God."⁵ ⁶¹ And another also said, "Lord, I will follow you; but let me first go and say farewell to those who are at my home." ⁶² But Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Previous Chapter \| Next Chapter

Luke 9

¹ Then Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

² And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

³ And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, neither staffs, nor bag, nor food, nor money, and do not have two coats apiece.

⁴ Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city.

⁵ And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off even the dust from your feet, as a testimony against them."

⁶ Then they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

⁷ Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Jesus, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,

⁸ And by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.

⁹ And Herod said, "I have beheaded John; but who is this of whom I hear such things?" And he sought to see him.

¹⁰ Now when they returned, the apostles told Jesus all that they had done. And he took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

¹¹ But when they discovered it, the people followed him; and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

¹² And when the day began to decline, the twelve came and said to him, "Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding towns and country and lodge and get food there, for we are here in a deserted place.

¹³ But he said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have only five loaves and two fish; unless we go and buy food for all these people."

¹⁴ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, "Make them sit down by groups of fifties."

¹⁵ And they did so, and everyone sat down.

¹⁶ Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

¹⁷ And they ate and were all filled; and they gathered up twelve baskets of fragments that remained.

¹⁸ Now it came to pass, when he was alone praying, that his disciples were with him, and he asked them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?"

¹⁹ And they answered, saying, "Some say John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others say, that one of the old prophets has risen again."

²⁰ Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, saying, "The Christ of God."

²¹ And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,

²² Saying, "The Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain and be raised again the on third day."

²³ And he said to them all, "If any man desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. [To follow is to be led by the Spirit. To be led, you must persistently and patiently sit in humble silence to wait on the Lord, as you listen for his word within your heart to speak to you; then you must obey Him. Self-denial occurs by obeying the Lord's commands you hear instead of your will, (His will, not your will); this is the inward cross of self-denial. First, He will lead you out of darkness to a sinless state; to then guide your thoughts, words, and works; which works show His glory and love to the world.]

²⁴ For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. [When you continually deny yourself and obey the Lord's commands, you will eventually die to your selfish life on the inward cross of self-denial, and thereby save your soul to live Life in union with God. You lose your life at the conclusion of your crucifixion of self, with many many acts of commanded repentance, several trials with suffering, and then the baptism of fire, which is the baptism of death. For detail on this baptism of fire and death, see the footnote to Matthew 3:12 on this site.]

²⁵ For what profit is it to a man, if he gains the whole world and loses himself [his soul] or is cast away [into outer darkness]?¹

²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his own glory and in the glory of his Father and of the holy angels.

²⁷ But I tell you the truth, there are some standing here, who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."² [The New Testament is full of references to the second appearance of Jesus being then, not thousands of years later. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus is recorded saying that some then standing with him, 2000 years ago, would see his glorious coming in the clouds with the Kingdom before they died. In addition Paul, Jesus preaching, Jesus in Revelation, Peter, James, and John, — all said, soon, the time is near, a little while, he stands at the door. Christendom blithely ignores this gaping incongruity between what the Bible plainly states vs. what they are taught by their blind guides. It would be a cruel hoax to be waiting on Him to appear if the past 100 generations of believers actually had no hope of ever seeing Him. From the Word of the Lord within: "The kingdom, the grand prize. Seek first the kingdom, and all else will be provided — provided you stay on course. Do not be misled; you must enter the kingdom while on earth. You can live in heaven and still walk the earth."]

²⁸ And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that he took Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

²⁹ And as he prayed, the appearance of his face was changed, and his robe became white and glistering.

³⁰ And behold, two men talked with him, who were Moses and Elijah,

³¹ Who appeared in glory and spoke of his death, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

³² But Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they awakened, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.

³³ And it came to pass, that as the two men were leaving him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three shelters — one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah;" not realizing what he was saying.

³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they feared as they entered into the cloud.

³⁵ And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to [believe, and obey] him." [This applies to all of us. We must hear the Lord speak to us and then obey; to obey is to follow. From the Word of the Lord within: "Follow precisely; do not deviate."]

³⁶ And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it quite, and told no one in those days any of those things which they had seen.

³⁷ Then on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, many people met him.

³⁸ And a man from the crowd cried out, saying, "Master, I beg you, look upon my son, for he is my only child;

³⁹ And a spirit seizes him and he suddenly cries out. And it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; it hardly ever departs from him, bruising him.

⁴⁰ I implored your disciples to cast him out, but they could not."

⁴¹ And Jesus answering said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."

⁴² And as he was coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the child and delivered him again to his father.

⁴³ They were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while everyone wondered at all things that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,

⁴⁴ "Let these words sink into your ears: the Son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men."

⁴⁵ But they did not understand this saying; and it was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him the meaning of it.

⁴⁶ Then there arose an argument among them as to which of them would be greatest.

⁴⁷ And Jesus, knowing the thought of their heart, took a child and set him beside him,

⁴⁸ And said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you, the same shall be the greatest."

⁴⁹ Then John said, "Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name and we forbade him, because he is not one of us."

⁵⁰ And Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him. For whoever is not against us is for us."³

⁵¹ Then it came to pass, when the time had come for him to be taken up to heaven, that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

⁵² And sent messengers before him; and they entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him.

⁵³ But the people would not receive him, because his face was set as though he was going to Jerusalem.

⁵⁴ And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you wish us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?"

⁵⁵ But he turned and rebuked them, saying, "You do not know what sort of spirit you are of.⁴ [The disciples had not yet been cleansed and purified by the baptism of fire at Pentecost, so they were still under control of the spirit of Satan, as are all men until they have been crucified on the inward cross of self-denial. This verse proves that all the Protestant and Catholic sects that killed, (or even approved of killing), those with a different religious opinion were very different from real Christians; in even considering murder, they were following and yielding to their father the devil, who was the murderer from the beginning.]

⁵⁶ For the Son of man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." And they went to another village.

⁵⁷ Then it came to pass, as they went on their way, that a certain man said to him, "Lord, I will follow you wherever you go."

⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."

⁵⁹ And he said to another, "Follow me." But he said, Lord, allow me to first go and bury my father.

⁶⁰ But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their dead; but you go and preach the kingdom of God."⁵

⁶¹ And another also said, "Lord, I will follow you; but let me first go and say farewell to those who are at my home."

⁶² But Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

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¹ For what profit is it to a man, if he gains the whole world and loses himself [his soul] or is cast away [into outer darkness]? Notice! NOTICE! The Lord has just told us that to own the whole world is less valuable than a man's soul. The soul is more valuable than all the wealth, all the power, all the pleasures, and all the sought after exotic locations in the world combined. We have no idea what we have been given — the soul — because we cannot see what can become of that soul if we carry our cross to the death of our sinful nature. As Paul has said: But as it is written, "Man's eye has not seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, the things that God has prepared for those who love him." From the Word of the Lord within:

"Truly, I say to you, all the truth is magnificent; you will marvel when you see it.
There are very few people who, when they see what God is, would turn down union with him. "

Stephen Crisp spoke these words in his recorded sermon:

Where there is a great deal of pride, malice and envy, the spirit of Christ will root it up, and all that evil that the enemy has planted in men, he will pluck it up, and bring in everlasting righteousness, and plant love in the same soul, and establish and settle it. Such a one will have more joy, pleasure and delight, under the government of the Spirit of Christ in one day, than anyone can have that is governed by the evil spirit in a thousand days.

From the Word of the Lord within: "The potential fulfillment of the soul is beyond your ability to grasp. No soul is immortal apart from me."

The fulfillment of the soul's potential is beyond man's wildest imaginations; it offers something to every man that is beyond our ability to grasp. If we fail to become free of sin in this life, when we see what we could have become, we will be devastated. Everyone will be devastated at what they could have obtained while living on the earth; and those who thought they had loved God will be further devastated over what they failed to give to Him in their life on earth, which was to deny their selfish nature, seek his guidance, follow it; thus to then bring honor and glory to Him by producing the fruit of the Spirit. To miss the opportunity to bring honor and glory to your creator, who created you and of all the universe and heavens, is to miss your lifetime's opportunity.

Those who die in their sins will shudder with deep sorrow when they look back at their petty, worthless, ridiculous pursuits while they were on the earth, when they could have followed God's promptings and realized the rewards that they then see and understand, but which will forever be unattainable for them. That sorrow will never leave those who fail to attain the kingdom in this life on earth.

Further, from the Word of the Lord within: "After death there is a sense of regret over their life. Everyone will be known by what they have said and done."

² This is one of the six statements of Jesus that prove the Kingdom of God is a personal experience. Jesus said: the time has come, the Kingdom is near. He is not talking about a Kingdom thousands of years later. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus is recorded saying that some then standing with him, 2000 years ago, would see his glorious coming with the Kingdom before they died. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus is recorded saying all the end times prophesies would be fulfilled before the generation of 2000 years ago died. If people 2000 years ago saw Jesus bringing and establishing his Kingdom on earth, then it is a personal experience; the Lord's second appearance occurs to all who prepare the way for him to return. For his return is to purified believers, in all generations, who have prepared the way of the Lord, making his paths straight, by repentance through grace, to crucify the sinful nature. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh [the sinful nature] with its passions and desires [lusts and affections] Gal 5:24

The kingdom of God does not come with outward signs to be observed or with visible display. Nor will people say, 'Look! Here!' or, 'Look, there!' For behold, the kingdom of God is within you and around you." Luke 17:20-21. When he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3. He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Heb 9:28.

And the Apostles further testified to living in his Kingdom too:

Paul said: Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. Col 1:13
Paul again: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Gal 2:20
So Paul (and others) had been delivered from sin, had been translated into the Kingdom of Christ, and were living in union with Christ.

John said: I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patient endurance of Jesus Christ. Rev 1:9
(John had been in tribulation, and was in the Kingdom)

And from George Fox's Journal: written in 1656 (Click to see who Fox was.)

While I was in prison here, the Baptists and fifth-monarchy-men prophesied, that this year Christ would come, and reign upon earth a thousand years. And they looked upon this reign to be outward: when he had come inwardly in the hearts of his people, to reign and rule; these "believers" would not receive him in their hearts. So they failed in their prophecy and expectation, and did not have the possession of him. But Christ has come, and does dwell and reign in the hearts of his people. Thousands, at the door of whose hearts he has been knocking, have opened to him; and he has come in, and does sup with them, and they with him; the heavenly supper with the heavenly and spiritual man. So many of these Baptists and monarchy-people became the greatest enemies to the followers of Christ, but he reigns in the hearts of his saints over all their envy.

³ A common excuse for the 45,000 different sects in Christendom is: leave us alone, we're Christians too, citing this scripture (Luke 9:49-50): Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he does not follow us. But Jesus said to him, "Do not Forbid him. For whoever is not against us is for us." But those doing miracles in the name of Jesus were not preaching a different formula for salvation, or gospel; they were doing miracles in his name, casting out demons. Regarding those preaching a different formula for salvation, Paul said: if any man preaches any other gospel to you other than what you have received, let him be accursed, Gal 1:9; and For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision; whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things they ought not to teach, for filthy lucre's [money] sake; Titus 1:10-11. (They preached for money, against the commands of Christ and command of Peter.) Such are venturing into those things that he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, Col 2:18, rather than speaking what they have been taught by the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 2:13.

Doing miracles in the name of Christ does not damage the work of Christ; but to preach a false salvation or false gospel, immeasurably damages the work of Christ.

All of the 45,000 sects in Christendom have different opinions about God: what Jesus expects us to do if we believe in him, what behaviors Jesus will not tolerate, how the Father and Jesus demand us to worship, how they want us to pray, what rituals and practices are important, how salvation is attained, etc. In effect, they each believe in a different Jesus and a different gospel. When they pray, they pray to the collective spirit of their group, which is the image of God they have imagined. Per Paul, if they preach a different gospel than him, he wished them cursed. And what was the gospel that Paul was sent to preach? Compare the gospels you have heard, with the message Jesus told Paul to preach:

I [Jesus] now send you, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, release from sin's slavery, and an inheritance among those who are purified by faith in me. Acts 26:17-18.

⁴ Then it came to pass, when the time had come for him to be taken up to heaven, that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,And sent messengers before him; and they entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him.But the people would not receive him, because his face was set as though he was going to Jerusalem.And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you wish us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?"But he turned and rebuked them, saying,"You do not know what sort of spirit you are of.For the Son of man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."

At this time in their discipleship, the disciples of Jesus were still guided by their carnal minds and evil spirits: the offspring of Satan. They wished to destroy the Samaritans because they would not receive Jesus, but Jesus rebuked them, telling them that they did not know what spirit they were being controlled by; just like when Peter urged Jesus to not let the elders, chief priests, and scribes kill Him, Jesus told Peter: "get behind me Satan." In this verse, (Luke 9:55-56), Jesus is telling us that it it is from the demonic spirit of Satan to even think about killing people who refuse to accept your faith.

In the Roman Catholic inquisitions and slaughters throughout Europe during the Middle Ages (800 AD to 1500 AD) nine million souls were put to death, accused of witchcraft. The Protestant zealots of Germany, inspired by Luther's radical translation of the Bible, raped, plundered, and killed 100,000 of the nobility and Catholics in the Peasants War. English King Henry VIII, the founder of the Episcopalians, had 72,000 opponents, (mostly Catholics), killed. England, Scotland, and Ireland suffered three civil wars of Puritans* against ruling governments, which left 190,00 dead in England, (3.7% of the population); 60,000 dead in Scotland, (6% of the population); and 616,000 dead in Ireland, (41% of the population, which was mostly Catholic).

*Justifying their revolution as bringing Christ's kingdom to earth, the Puritans regarded their adversaries as enemies of Christ. The Puritan officers of their army frequently inspired their troops by shouting a quote from the Old Testament against heathen idolatry: "Cursed be he that does the work of the Lord deceitfully, and keeps back his sword from blood." The victorious Puritan and parliamentary soldiers, with their extraordinary biblical names — Praise God Barebones and Sergeant Hew Agag in Pieces before the Lord — were roaming through the country, smashing the images in the churches, tearing out the pipes in the organs, breaking the stained-glass windows, and stabling their horses in cathedrals.

This was followed in the 17th Century by the Protestants of England and America, who in 50 years were responsible for the deaths of over 869 Quakers, imprisoning tens of thousands, and seizing the property of tens of thousands; the persecutors of the Quakers included Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Congregationalist Puritans, and Baptists. Three men and a woman were hung in Boston by the Bible-believing Puritans.

All the Protestant and Catholic sects that killed, (or even approved of killing), those with a different religious opinion were very different from real Christians; in even considering murder, they were following and yielding to their father the devil, who was the murderer from the beginning. They callously ignored the scriptures of the New Testament clearly stating that we should love our enemies, that we should pray for our enemies, that we should turn the other cheek, and that it was Satanic to even think about killing those that do not share our faith. Jesus further said that if someone is violating the standards of the true church, (sinning), they are supposed to be warned by one, then warned by two or three, then censured by the whole body of believers, — and if they fail to repent of their error, they are supposed to be expelled and shunned — not killed, or imprisoned, or tortured, or stripped of their property. Any so-called Christian that does that: 1) denies Him as Lord and Master, 2) denies Him having come in the flesh, and 3) is antiChrist. We are supposed to love and pray for our enemies, not destroy them.

If a true Christian, (sent by Jesus to preach to someone with words supplied by Him immediately before speaking), is rejected by his listeners, he is only permitted to shake the dust of that home or town from his feet; but it is clearly demonic to harm in the least those who refuse the message. God can deal with those who reject His message any way He chooses, (whenever He chooses), but a true Christian cannot even strike another human being, who is created in the image of God; a true Christian is: 1) sent to specific persons, 2) shown or told exactly what to do, and 3) harmless.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be as wise as serpents, and as harmless as doves. Mat 10:16

So that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world; Phil 2:15

As Jesus is, so you are to be in the world as He is. We must be righteous as He is righteous, 1 John 3:7-10. We must be merciful as He is merciful, Luke 6:36. We must become pure as He is pure. 1 John 3:3. But as he who has called you is holy, so you be holy in all manner of conduct, 1 Pet 1:15. So that we walk as he walked, 1 John 2:6, and as He is, so are we in this present world. 1 John 4:17. From the Word of the Lord within: "Remember, every person who sins denies Him as Lord and Master."

Though false prophets were stoned according to Jewish Law, and though the pagan peoples were killed in Israel, those practices were superseded by Jesus when He came and strengthened the requirements of righteousness to exceed the old law. Who continues swearing, or tithing, or killing false prophets and unbelievers, or continues taking an eye for an eye, or building temples, or observing sabbaths, or having multiple wives, or forbidding certain foods, or observing certain days, or celebration of Jewish feasts;* such person denies Jesus Christ as Lord and Master, denies Him come in the flesh, and therefore is antiChrist.

* If you are a Jew that practiced the Mosaic Law in regard to foods and days, and have turned to Christianity, you are permitted, (not required), to continue that practice until you have received faith from the Spirit that a portion of the law should not govern you, (as did Peter); for if you think it is a sin to violate any aspect of the law, you are condemned if you violate it.

⁵ Let the dead bury the dead. Obviously dead people cannot bury anyone. The meaning of dead is: when Adam disobeyed God in the garden, he lost the life of God and was cut off from the tree of life; thus he and all his descendants passed from life (of God) to death in the life of God. So we are dead until we are restored to the Spiritual image of God in all righteousness and holiness, which only occurs in those who have crucified the selfish, sinful spirit within them, which is then replaced by the Spirit of Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. With Christ in us, controlling our words and deeds, we have the Life of God; but not until then. So, Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light. Eph 5:14. For in him is the Life, and the Life is the light of men; the true light that enlightens all men who come into the world, so that they might believe. John 1:4,7,9.

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