Tortured for Christ vs. Putting on the Whole Armor of God

10  Finally, my brethren, be ^astrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

 11 Put on the whole ^aarmour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 12 For we ^awrestle not ^bagainst ^cflesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the ^drulers of the ^edarkness of this world, against spiritual ^fwickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 14 Stand therefore, having your loins ^agirt about with ^btruth, and having on the ^cbreastplate of ^drighteousness;

 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of ^apeace;

 16 Above all, taking the shield of ^afaith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery ^bdarts of the wicked.

 17 And take the helmet of ^asalvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  Ephesians 6

What is the purpose of armor?  Is it not for protection?  Protection from what?  The fiery darts of the wicked and the wiles of the devil.

Many people believe that the fiery darts are similar to the refiner’s fire.  They believe that the wicked, including the devil, serve an important purpose in bringing pain and suffering to the world which in turn, serves as a test, to see if we can stand it and remain patient and faithful.  If we endure it, then we are purified by this fire and become sanctified.  However, common sense says that they are wrong.  Why?  Because if the fiery darts or any suffering from fire are necessary, what purpose does the armor of God serve?  Rather than put on the whole armor of God, we should be naked and exposed to allow for the maximum effect from the purifying fire.  Armor (protection) and suffering (fire) are opposite concepts.

The whole armor of God is to protect us from the adversary.  He is the opponent of Jesus Christ.  He wants us to suffer, Jesus wants us to be free from suffering.  Yes, suffering, pain, afflictions all serve a purpose, if you like doing it the hard way.  If the hard way is the only way that you can learn, then it does serve a purpose.  But the Savior (one who saves) has provided a better way, where suffering and pain are not necessary.

The whole armor of God is consistent with all of the messages of Jesus Christ.  Jesus has said:

1.     “I would gather you (all true followers) as a hen gathers her chickens”

2.     “That thou shouldest keep them (all true followers) from all evil”

3.     “Deliver us (all true followers) from evil”

4.     “Nothing by any means shall hurt you (all true followers)”

5.     “Be of good cheer (all true followers), I have overcome the world”.

6.     “let him (all true followers) glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.”

7.     “he gave them (all true followers) power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”

8.     “lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (all true followers).”

9.     “come unto me all ye that are heavy laden (all true followers) for I shall give you rest.”

A popular book being sold on the internet is titled, “Tortured for Christ”.  It deals with the persecutions and suffering of Christians around the world.  These Christians seem to glory in the fact that they can be tortured and suffer at the hands of their enemies, for Christ’s sake.  What happened to the whole armor of God?  If they are being tortured, they are not being delivered, they are not finding rest, they are not having their enemies subdued under their feet, they are not being kept from all evil, they are not standing against the wiles of the devil and quenching the fiery darts.   Torture, pain, suffering are only necessary if they are the only way we can learn, they are the hard road, they are the school of hard knocks.  They are the broad road of the devil that leads to destruction.  The devil wants us to be tortured, to suffer, to have affliction as that is how he derives power.  Jesus wants the exact opposite for us.  He wants us to put on the whole armor of God.

Now, let’s understand better how we can obtain the whole armor of God and how we can be protected from torture and from unnecessary suffering.

1.     “Stand therefore, having your loins ^agirt about with ^btruth”   The loins are the reproductive area of the body.  While they definitely refer to sexual capacity, they are also symbolic of the creative power of the individual, hence, the association with truth.   The loins are also known as bowels and the bowels are also a seat of truth.   Historians note that the loins or bowel area were a favorite target of the enemy and when a person, usually a man, was injured in the loins area, he was finished forever, with no more capacity for increase or continuation of his seed.  That may explain why the loins are the first area to protect  by being girt with truth.  The capacity for increase and for posterity is associated with the fountain of truth.   We are also admonished to “stand”, which means to awake and to arise.  To be girt with truth requires that we be awake to ALL truth, not just the truth that tickles our ear, and when we are awake and standing, we can be prepared for the enemy.

2.     “and having on the ^cbreastplate of ^drighteousness;”  The breastplate protects the heart area, another favorite target of the enemy.  In obeying the first great commandment, we love the Lord our God with all of our heart.  If the enemy can discourage us or prevent us from loving God with all of our heart, then we are more likely to fail as true followers of Christ.  The essence of righteousness lies in obeying the two great commandments.  It is important to note that Christ himself will be our breastplate, our shield, our protection.   When we take upon us the name of Christ, we are in essence putting on the whole armor of God.   Christ is righteousness personified.  That means that when we see our armor failing through our own weaknesses, then we should come unto Christ, call upon his holy name and ask for fortification, he will never refuse us.  That is why it is so important to obey the second great commandment, to love ourselves as we love our neighbor and God and not let our weaknesses keep us from calling on Christ for protection.

3.     “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of ^apeace”   In order to stand, we must have good foot ware.    The adversary looks for our Achilles heel.  I suspect that the legend of the Achilles heel may come from the fact that the serpent, the devil, would be given power to bruise the heel of the seed of Adam and Eve.  However, the bruising of the heel is preventable if we shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.   “If  the  righteous are prepared, they shall not fear”.   Prepared in the gospel of peace.  To be peaceful, means to not wage war which involves violence, hate and bloodshed.  The gospel of peace provides a means of deliverance from the enemy without requiring violence, hate or bloodshed.   “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15   Their feet are beautiful because they are shod with armor and protection.  The glad tidings are that the enemy has no power over them to bruise their heel.  The enemy has been subdued under their feet without violence, hate or bloodshed.  The enemy has become their footstool, from which the righteous derive rest. 

4.     “Above all, taking the shield of ^afaith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery ^bdarts of the wicked.”  Above all?  It must be very important!   How can one have faith if one believes that they must be tortured for Christ?  If I know that I am a soldier for Christ going into battle with the enemy and that I may be captured, imprisoned, tortured and made to suffer unspeakable atrocities by the adversary, how does that inspire faith?  What purpose does the shield serve if I must be tortured?  If the fiery darts of the adversary are getting through my shield of faith, what good is my faith?  Here we see again, the centuries of false teachings and programming that are embedded in our consciousness that suffering for Christ is a necessary component of being his true  follower.  The exact opposite is the truth.  A sign of a true follower of Christ is that they are NOT tortured for him!  Faith is a shield that quenches the fiery darts of the wicked when we have faith that Christ will protect us and deliver us.    When we have faith that Christ is our armor, and that nothing can penetrate it to harm us, then we have the faith that makes this shield effective.   However, if we refuse to give up our false traditions (even at a subconscious level) that suffering and pain are a necessary, absolutely unavoidable part of this life, then the adversary rejoices because now he can captivate us and use our pain to his advantage.  

5.     “And take the helmet of ^asalvation”,   Take is a verb which can also mean “receive or accept”.  Salvation is being offered to us by Christ.  He is the Savior, one who saves.  Christ is known as our head.  “And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:”  When we put on the  helmet, we are putting on Christ.  The helmet protects the mind.  We are to love the Lord our God with all of our mind.  As we obey the first and second great commandments, we are putting on the whole armor of God.  So, it becomes a delicious (not vicious) circle.  We put on the helmet of salvation which means coming unto Christ, the helmet protects the mind, we love the Lord God with all of our mind, when we weaken in our resolve to Love God with all of our mind, we come unto Christ again and the cycle repeats itself. 

6.     “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”  Everything has been defensive up to now.  Now, we are being given an offensive weapon to fight back, to destroy the enemy, to mete out justice, to wreak revenge for all the torture, pain and suffering that he has done to us.  Or is that the purpose of the sword?  The sword is the  “word of God”.  And what is the word of God?  It is the gospel of peace.  Is it an offensive weapon?  Yes.  Does it bring about violence, hate and bloodshed?  No.  “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  It goes on the offensive as it seeks out the true followers of Christ, or those who are willing to repent according to their thoughts and intents of the heart.  It is also defensive in that the sword enables the righteous to become “wise as serpents and gentle as doves”.  When confronted by the arrogance of evil, the sword will separate the wicked from the righteous.  The righteous are delivered by the sword, the sword divides the wicked from the righteous.  Those who receive the word of God remain with the righteous, those who do not receive the word of God, remain separated and apart.

Chapter 4

The Strait Gate and the Narrow Way

Matt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Why is it that few there be that find it?  Is it because the strait gate is hidden and disguised?  Is it because the Savior is an elitist and only wants a few to enter into his exclusive club?

The use of the strait gate and the narrow path is used approximately sixteen (16) times in the scriptures.  Given its repetitive use, it must be important.  Why should we enter into the strait gate?  Because it leadeth unto life.  Many think that the gates, the strait and the wide ones, are death and the grave.  By going through these gates of death, we either go on to destruction or to life eternal.  For the few righteous, the strait gate will be their reward for a good life following death and the narrow way will be a quick path into heaven.  For the many wicked, it will be a traffic jam of people who are going to hell.

We shall see that the strait gate to which Jesus refers bypasses death and leads directly to life.  Very few find it, not because it is intentionally hidden from their view by Jesus, but because of their dullness of heart, their blindness and deafness.

For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Their refusal to be healed is brought about by their hard hearts that are so set upon the things of this world, that they cannot see the brilliant light at noonday.

But behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many who have been ordained among you, whom I have called but few of them are ^achosen.

They who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, in that they are ^awalking in ^bdarkness at noon-day.

Who are the few who are chosen?  The ones who have found the strait gate and the narrow way. The ones who have chosen by their own free agency to comprehend the light.   What is the darkness?  The false traditions that we have been taught that the miracles of Jesus are not accessible to us, that they were only to be performed by him and to the lucky few who were in the right place at the right time to be in his presence. 

The darkness and broad path teaches that man-made technology is the only answer.  That we must learn and obey thousands, if not millions, of commandments, laws, rules and regulations if we want to survive and have order in our lives.  That we must rely on certain leaders and prophets who are the mouthpieces of God and that they have more power and authority to communicate with the Lord than does the average person. 

The wide gate is similar to swallowing a camel.  It is wide from swallowing the camel.  It is made wide by all of the man-made laws, rules, regulations and false traditions.  It is wide because it trusts in the arm of flesh.  It is wide to allow the great and gluttonous whore of the world to pass through it.

Rev 19 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication,

It is wide to accommodate the many workers of iniquity.  Iniquity means “unequal, unjust”.  These are they that ignore the poor, or worse, seek to use the poor, the ignorant, the weak and the innocent to get gain and through inequality and devious means (not hard work), become richer while the poor become poorer and the weak, weaker.

What is the grievous sin?  They have chosen darkness over light.  They prefer darkness because it is more rewarding, or so they think.  Grievous comes from the word gravus, meaning “weighty”.  It is weighty because it is a choice.  One can sin in ignorance but it becomes more weighty when it is done by choice. 

What is the noon-day?  The light and love of the Son and the Father that is shed forth on all who would receive it.  It is his word.  It is the first and great commandment, to love him with all of our hearts, minds, strength and all of our beings.  The first great commandment is the strait gate.  The second great commandment is the narrow way that allows us to keep and fulfill the first great commandment.  We love the Lord our God by loving our neighbor,

Matt 25:37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Through these scriptures, we get a clearer understanding of the narrow and broad ways.  The narrow way is not well known even unto the righteous.  They had to ask His Majesty, the King, how they could have possibly seen him as a naked, hungry and wretched person, after all, he is a mighty king in a beautiful palace in fine clothes.  Because of their righteousness, they had loved their neighbor, even the wretched refuse of humanity.  It is anybody who notices the homeless, the obscure, the downtrodden and then out of love, helps them. 

On the other hand, the broad path is the one where many people pass by the beggar, that reject the odd looking homeless person, the disabled, the extreme poor going through the garbage cans or even the nerd or social outcast in high school.  They did not love their King, because they did not love their neighbor.  They are led to destruction.  Destruction represents death and corruption. They will have to face enemies who will seek their destruction, they will not have the protection that the righteous have.  They are the workers of iniquity.  They are the wolves in sheep’s clothing, the hypocrites who pretend to be righteous but in secret commit atrocities, murders, lies and make devious plans.

Because the gate is strait and the path narrow, does not mean it is especially difficult.  In fact, I propose that the strait gate is actually easier to pass through than the wide gate.  Strait means “tight, close, narrow” and it also means “strict”.  It is easier because it is not confusing.  It is tight and close because you enter it without a lot of burdens upon you.  You are not like the camel trying to enter the eye of a needle.  You are free of the burdens of this world because you have come unto Jesus and learned of him, for his burdens are light and easy to bear.  You have a broken heart and a contrite spirit that has been polished, ready to pass through the gate that has been prepared for you. 

In many ways, the strait gate and the narrow way are like our mother’s birth canal which brought us into the world.  Now, we are being reborn and returning to our Heavenly Parents.  It is the reverse process of birth into mortality.  We have been reborn, we do not pass through death but we return to our mother’s womb through the strait gate, through the narrow birth canal and then into the womb representing eternal life and the rest of the Savior.  The coming to and going from this world for the righteous, is a beautiful process.  The woman’s body is symbolic of the Lord’s plan for eternal life.  A righteous woman is a fruitful bough.  The Savior is the mediator, the facilitator, the midwife per se, in helping us enter the strait gate, pass through the narrow canal and then return to the womb representing safety and rest but not inactivity and boredom.   In this case, it is not a painful process but a glorious one, one that is sweet and wonderful.

In this journey through strait gate and narrow way, Jesus didn’t say there was no burden, but that it was light and easy to bear.  Some try to avoid any burden at all by just tuning out, turning off to religion and turning on to their worldly pursuits.  For the eat, drink and be merry folks, there is still a burden, but Jesus has promised that it is an easy one.   And it is so easy, it only just requires giving your “all”.

Chapter 8

Sell Whatsoever Thou Hast: Is There a Return on the Investment?

Only two chapters and a couple of days earlier in Mark 10, the rich young man asked Jesus what else he still lacked in order to give his all, and Jesus, with love, told him what he could do, “Sell whatsoever thou hast.”  It was said in great love, not as a test or to make the young man miserable, Jesus loved him so much that he was offering the rich young man a gift that far exceeded his wildest imagination, the opportunity to obey the First commandment which in turn unlocks the keys of eternal life and receiving all the Father hath.
D&C 11:7 Seek not for ^ariches but for ^bwisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made ^crich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.

Most of us, who read this story, may think that if we had Jesus directly tell us to sell whatsoever we had and give to the poor, that it would be easy but deep down we may say, “whew, I am sure glad that I am not in the place of the young rich man, so I really don’t have to find out if I would or wouldn’t.”  But note that Jesus said to the rich young man, “And come follow me.”  Are those familiar words?  Did he direct those words only to the young man or has he used those words universally, for all of us? 

When we put ourselves in the place of the rich young man, we may wonder, like the young rich man, can I really do it, can I make that leap and give all that I have and follow him?  Is it really worth it?  Will I not look back and regret leaving all that I had for a life of austerity, of denial, of sacrifice, of discomfort and suffering?

Luke 15 28 And he (the elder brother of the Prodigal son) was angry, and would not go in; therefore came his father out and entreated him.

29 And he answering, said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends;

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

31 And he said unto him, Son thou art ever with me; and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and is found

Once again the ubiquitous word “all”.  The widow who cast in her two mites, the elder brother of the prodigal son, the young rich man, the fishermen and all of us can ask the same question, “Why should I give my all to the Lord God, is it really worth it, will the return on my investment be enough to compensate for the sacrifice?”

In the case of the widow, I believe that Jesus was waiting for her at the treasury.  I believe that He knew she would come.  I believe that the widow was inspired to come to the treasury at that very moment.  Her reward?  To be received by the Savior himself.  He did not just observe her from afar, he greeted her, embraced her and blessed her.  To the  widow He probably said, “Woman, thou art ever with me; and all that I have is thine.” 

Jesus has said in Luke 6

32 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.

33 And yet I say unto you that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.

34 Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he not provide for you, if ye are not of little faith?

35 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

36 Why is it that ye murmur among yourselves, saying, We cannot obey thy word because ye have not all these things, and seek to excuse yourselves, saying that, After all these things do the Gentiles seek.

37 Behold, I say unto you that your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

38 Wherefore, seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”

There it is again, “all” these things.  What things?  All these things not only refers to food, raiment and necessities of life, it refers to everything that the Father hath.  By seeking not the things of the world, but seeking to build up the kingdom of God and to establish his righteousness, all these things will be added unto us.  How do we build up the kingdom of God? Jesus answers by saying, “Wherefore take no thought for these things, but keep my commandments wherewith I have commanded you”  What are the commandments? 

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart…….

And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

The savior has made it relatively simple for us.  He had given us two commandments, the keeping of which brings all blessings that are possible to be bestowed upon us.

By the way, how do we build up the kingdom of God?  And what exactly does it mean to establish his righteousness?  Jesus has said in Luke 17

20 ¶ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you

So, if we are to build up the kingdom of God and to establish his righteousness, we have to build it within.  Do you see a connection of building the kingdom of God with the first great commandment?  Everything he is asking us to do is within.  It deals with the heart, the mind, the inner strength, the soul, all internal and interior qualities.  As we obey the first commandment, we worry less about the material things of this world and give our all to the Lord our God, we are building the kingdom of God within us.  Then, when we obey the second great commandment by loving our fellow man, we are establishing His righteousness. 

Jesus also has said,

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments (the first and second great commandments), and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

22 Judas saith unto him, (not Iscariot,) Lord, how is it thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

Why is it so desirable to have the Father and the Son to make their abode with us?  Once they literally dwell within us, we have access to their power and nothing is impossible unto us. 

How will they make their abode with him?  Will they build a house next door to him?  We are the abode!  And what must be there before they can make their abode?  The kingdom of God!  God is a king and his abode must be a kingdom, the kingdom that is within us.  A kingdom not built with hands but a kingdom built upon love and the giving of our all.  For without giving our all, there is not enough room to build a kingdom.  If we don’t give our all, then our inner vessel is still cluttered with the things of the world, our excuses, our rationalizations, our justifications, our laziness, our addictions, our comfort zones, our attachment to the world.  Christ admonished his followers that they are left without excuse when he said,

“Why is it that ye murmur among yourselves, saying, We cannot obey thy word because ye have not all these things, and seek to excuse yourselves, saying that, After all these things do the Gentiles seek.” 

He seems to be saying that the disciples excused themselves because the Gentiles were successful in obtaining all these things, enjoying the good life, having abundant material things, without having to sacrifice their all.  But we, like the disciples, in our attachment to the world seem to forget that he has promised us that everything will be ours, far beyond our wildest imagination.  And it is available now, not in some future life after we have been buried!

John 10 I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly

John 14 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

D&C 76:55 They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—

59 Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

60 And they shall overcome all things.

61 Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.

62 These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever.