Matthew 5:10-12
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“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.”
New King James Version (NKJV)
“Great blessings belong to those who suffer persecution for doing what is right. God’s kingdom belongs to them.
“People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.”
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
One thing Jesus wanted us to know is that following Him would not be a walk in the park. This is made clear in every translation of the Word of God validated by the Holy Spirit. For now, the world is under the influence of evil. Jesus died to overcome sin and death. He rose from the grave to establish God's Kingdom. Until He returns to finish His work, those who believe in and follow Him are targets. While on earth, His teaching centered on our hearts and behavior so that we would know how to stand against the evil in our midst. He tells us to be glad when we are persecuted for following Him because it means we are on the right track. By the Holy Spirit, He will help us when we go through the fire and we will be rewarded when we make it through.
The enemy of our souls wants to stop God's plan of redemption but he is already defeated. He endeavors to keep us bound in our misery and make us lose hope in the glorious future God has promised through Christ and regrettably he has lots of help. That is his way and he has been at it from the beginning of time. However, we are blessed that Jesus came not only to forgive our sins but to teach us how to live so as not to be ensnared in the ways of the enemy who seeks to steal our hope in the promises of God, destroy the future God has planned for those who follow His Son, and kill us in the process. Let us be blessed by God's Word and His will. In essence, the Beatitudes lets us know that by following Christ to the end we will be blessed. We win!
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 NIV
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