Hello,

I love what you do, and I try to read all that you post. I have just read a response to "Why so few
Are Chosen" and Matt 26:52 jumped out at me and this is what came to me while reading that
passage.

Matt 26:52 …Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword (the word of God) into his place:
for all they that take the sword ( word of God) shall perish with the sword ( word of God).

I read the passages around this verse to see if it would fit..CONTEXT. It fit well for the physical
side, but applying a spiritual message to what is being said there is "Hey, don't go back to the
carnal when things get tough; take up the word of God and live by them, but when you do this
you will die…to the carnal and to some a physical death."

I also noticed in the verse below this one that the word thief, sword and staff are used, and I
cannot help but feel there is a message there as well, but I'm new at this and am thinking staff is a
sign of power, while thief to me is still a thief.

And, no, I'm not sure if the above is correct it just sort of jumped out at me so I could be
completely wrong and in need of guidance.

Well, thank you for your time take care and look after your self.

A____

Hi A____,

Thank you for your question,

I am happy that you are learning to see the spirit in the words of God. That really is their primary
nature:
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak
unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Being spirit means that they are not words that man's wisdom teaches:
1 Cor 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but
which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The holy spirit teaches by comparing spiritual with spiritual. The natural man "cannot know this
because it is spiritually discerned."
Perhaps God is giving spiritual eyes and ears to you. I pray that is so.

Here is what you say and ask:

"Matt 26:52 …Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword (the word of God) into his
place: for all they that take the sword ( word of God) shall perish with the sword ( word of God).
I read the passages around this verse to see if it would fit..CONTEXT. It fit well for the physical
side, but applying a spiritual message to what is being said there is "Hey, don't go back to the
carnal when things get tough; take up the word of God and live by them, but when you do this
you will die…to the carnal and to some a physical death.

I also noticed in the verse below this one that the word thief, sword and staff are used and I can
not help but feel there is a message there as well, but I'm new at this and am thinking staff is a
sign of power, while thief to me is still a thief."

What Christ was plainly telling Peter was that if Peter insisted on "living by the physical sword,
then he was being slain by the spiritual sword. Here is but another way of saying the same thing:

Matt 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find
it.
If we can truly count ourselves as "dead in Christ, but living to the spirit," then we will never
compromise the word of Christ for temporal, momentary comfort.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
A dead man has nothing in this life to fear or to lose. If we count ourselves as dead, we will
rather die before we compromise the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Like Peter we all think we will die
for Christ, but like Peter we come to find out that our love of our flesh is much greater than we
realized. Peter demonstrated that He would die for Christ, and in doing so came to see that he
was not willing to die with Christ. Christ doesn't want people dying for Him. He came so we
could die with Him. In other words:
2 Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [physical sword], but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strong holds;) [like "All that is needed for evil to succeed is for good
men to do nothing"]
All that is really needed for evil to succeed is for Christians to take up a physical sword and
ignore the words of their spiritual Sword. A physical soldier, sincere as was Peter and all of
today's physical soldiers, is a spiritual murderer according to the word of God:
Matt 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine
enemy.
Matt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath
eternal life abiding in him.
1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we
ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
It is much harder to "lay down your life," as Christ set Peter and you and me an example, than it
is to "call down twelve legions of angels" and exact immediate justice. Christ's kingdom is not of
this world:
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom
not from hence.
John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest
that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should
bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth [is given ears to] heareth my voice.
Why would anyone be so "unreasonable" as to love their avowed enemy?
Matt 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his
sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
"His Sun," His Light, is His Word which is in every home and in every library in the nation
sitting there witnessing against every one who cannot obey its dictates. Christ has not given to
the multitudes the ability of understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans
the same?
Matt 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the
publicans so?
Matt 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. [Greek-
future tense, according to my KJV + TVM e-sword - "Become ye therefore perfect..."

Matt 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in
parables?
Matt 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Your next question concerns a subsequent verse.

"I also noticed in the verse below this one that the word thief, sword and staff are used, and I
cannot help but feel there is a message there as well, but I'm new at this and am thinking staff is a
sign of power, while thief to me is still a thief."

I assume it is this verse:

Matt 26:55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief
with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid
no hold on me.
By denying Christ and coming against Him as if He were a thief, we ourselves become "the
thief:"
John 10:10 The thief [Satan with his false doctrines] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
We are all "of our father the devil" while we are in Babylon believing on Christ, but not yet
converted:
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word,
[then] are ye my disciples indeed;
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man:
how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the
servant of sin.
John 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
John 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed [Babylonian Christians]; but ye seek to kill me,
because my word hath no place in you.
John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen
with your father.
John 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye
were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
John 8:40 But now ye [Jews that believe on me] seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the
truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
John 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication;
we have one Father, [even] God.
John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded
forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
John 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a
murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
John 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
We are all born as the beast:
Ecc 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest
them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
And where does this beast get his strength?:
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a
bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat,
and great authority.
We are all "of our father the devil" while in Babylon, hating our enemy and wanting our enemy
dead. So long as we see our brother as an enemy, we are seeing Christ as our enemy.

Christ considers us all as His brothers, converted and unconverted:

Heb 2:11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which
cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
So Christ warns us:
1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Matt 25:40 And 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.

Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
The Jews of Christ's day, just as the Christians they typify today, came against the truth of God's
Word as if He were a thief. Nothing has changed except that over the past two thousand years
"evil men and seducers have grown worse and worse."
2 Tim 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being
deceived.
While calling Christ's elect traitors and thieves, Babylon will be judged out of her own mouth.

A 'staff' in scripture is, as you say, a sign of power inasmuch as it is a type of Christ and His
word:
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for
thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
God's rod and staff are His word, Christ the Truth.
Psa 105:16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread.
A famine, in scripture, is always an allusion to a period of time when we are not close to God and
are not hearing His word:
Amo 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not
a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
Both the water and the bread, typify God's Word, His Truth. When we make God's word to say
what we want it to say, we bring famine of bread and water upon ourselves. Look at what God
has done to spiritual Babylon, "that great city wherein our Lord was crucified:"
Isa 3:1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from
Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
I repeat, there is not one doctrine in Babylon which has not been tainted with heresy. Babylon
does not even believe that Christ really died. They believe that He was either in hell, preaching to
spirits in prison or else He was with the thief in paradise.

Babylon comes against Christ to this day "with sword's and staves," both as types of how
Babylon has twisted God's Word so as to use God's own Words to crucify God's own sons.
Matt 26:65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what
further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
The blasphemers, then as today, are those who stand against the words of Christ and twist them
to justify the death of His elect. I
pray that you are able to see that all of these words are addressed to you and to me, and not to
some Jews who lived two thousand years ago. When Christ said:
Matt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man [you and me] shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
It was you and I who crucified our Lord while suffering from the famine of His Word in our
lives. It was during that period in our lives when we were completely devoid of bread and water
or sight; that we were not even able to detect our own spiritual hunger, thirst or blindness. Only
if we are able to apply God's Word inwardly and personally, will we be "given...eyes to see and
ears to hear" (Matt 13:10 - 16).

I hope this has helped to see the meaning of the words thief, sword and staff. Above all, I hope
you can see that in every case the primary meaning of every word is its spiritual meaning.
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit, and they are life.
1 Cor 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but
which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Did those coming against Christ come with physical swords and staves? Yes, of course they did,
but to the mind of the spirit those physical swords and staves are really just spiritual types of
false doctrines and false authority over our lives, which must be "cast down."
2 Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds;)

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
The "heavens" mentioned here are in our hearts and minds where at its appointed time, abode
"spiritual wickedness." I pray that you are given the eyes and ears to see and hear the "things of
the spirit."

Mike