Enemies hidden and manifest

 

We ask God in the Prayer of Thanksgiving that He

might take away from us the rising up of enemies,

hidden and manifest. So who are those two kinds of

enemies?

 

Hidden enemies are likely to be the Devils.

But the Manifest, they are the evil persons.

Which means; that there is one kind of an enemy

whom you don't see and you don't even acknowledge,

while there is another kind whom you already know.

In other words, there is an enemy who is working

in secret and another who is straightforward in his

enmity.

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Or may be of the hidden enemies there are:

the mind, the heart and the intention.

They all sometimes work in secret inside your

soul, and you can't see them.

Your deep lusts or uncompleted desires are

following those enemies…these; they fight against

you and might cause you to fall unconsciously or may

be consciously…

Those lusts and uncompleted desires can fight

you more than any other external enemies, like Devils

or evil people. The enmity of lusts is more savage and

more violent…

They are feelings which were burning in you in

the past and have already been faded away, or may

be you thought that they faded out. Actually, those

feelings settled deep down and in certain times they

come out when there is what stimulates them. It's

like a medicine bottle on which is written "shake well

before use". You just shake it and all sank in

substances start to move and is then mixed with the

liquid getting it to be turbid…

That's how it goes with some of your feelings

which sank and settled deep down inside you, you

didn't filter them at the right time then. So those

feelings were hidden away and you thought they were

finished, but they're not!!

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Or may be of the hidden enemies in a

conspiracy for ex. there is: the leading mind.

Or the mind which always thinks, which gives

orders to conspire and others carry out. All the

members in the conspiracy are put into custody

except this leading mind. He is the hidden enemy,

who knows how to lead and then disappears…

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Of the hidden enemies there are: the false

brethren.

Whom were referred to by St. Paul the Apostle in

(2 Co 11:26) when he was telling about his sufferings

and said "in perils among false brethren". Those who

were considered as brothers, but they were not real

brothers. Like Judas who was one of the Twelve. He

dipped his hand with Jesus in the dish, and at the

same moment he was conspiring to betray Him!! (Mt

26:23). He even kissed Jesus in front of the soldiers

giving them a sign to seize him!! (Mt 26:47, 48).

Of such: St. John the Apostle said about them in

his first Epistle "They went out from us, but they were

not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have

continued with us" (1 Jn 2:19).

And of such, those whom St. Paul the Apostle

said:" For many…, of whom I have told you often, and

now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies

of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction…and

whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on

earthly things " (Phil 3:18,19).

Of those, there is Demas his disciple and his

assistant whom the Apostle used to mention him

sometimes with Luke, mark and Aristarchus… (Col

4:14). And finally he said about him "for Demas has

forsaken me, having loved this present world" (2 Ti

4:10).

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And of the hidden enemies, there are also

those whom God said about them:

"Who come to you in sheep's clothing, but

inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Mt 7:15).

Sheep's clothing is hypocrisy which they wrap

themselves with, one poet said about hypocrisy that it

is transparent dress, if you wrap yourself with it; it is

disgraceful.

Those used to sometimes come to Jesus Christ

and call Him "Teacher" and ask Him an advice! And

some of them-like Simon the Pharisee- who invited

Him to his house, not of love or for blessing, but to

watch Him and try to find something to criticize in

Him (Lk 7)!!

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Of the hidden enemies, there are the

flatterers.

Those of whom are also in sheep's clothing.

They flatter a person and flatter even his wrong

deeds, thus they are harming him because as a result

of their flattery, he continues in his sins and his soul

fells.

Examples of whom are the false prophets who

surrounded Ahab the King, they made him believe

that he will win in his battles and persuaded him to go

into war. But this was the entrance to his destruction.

He didn't listen to Micaiah the Prophet, who warned

him, he didn't accept what was said and he fell (1 K

22:20-37).

The sweet talk of the flatterers is like poison

served with honey. And in the book of Proverbs, God

warned us a lot of such talks.

It's like what the Bible said "a man's

enemies will be those of his own household" (Mt

10:36).

Jezebel the wife of Ahab the King seemed as loving and defending him. When she saw him displeased for not being able to get the vineyard

which belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite, she helped

him with an evil plot to attain what he desired; by

accusing Naboth that he had blasphemed God, she

brought false witnesses to prove it. So Naboth the

Jezreelite had been stoned and was dead (1 K 21).

Ahab the King then took possession of the vineyard of

Naboth the Jezreelite…

Consequently, the Lord condemned Ahab and said

"In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth,

dogs shall lick your blood, even yours"…

Indeed! This wife, with her destructive counsel,

was one of the hidden enemies who appeared to be

affectionate to her husband!!

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What implies on such description as well is, God's

saying:

"Your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it

out and cast it from you…And if your right hand

causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from

you". (Mt 5:29, 30):

The meaning here is not literally in the exact

words. The phrase "your right eye" means the most

dear and loving person to your heart. And the phrase

"your right hand" means the person whom is mostly

helping you. If all those are causing you to sinpersons

who are the most close to you- so break up

your relation with them for the sake of your eternity.

As man's enemies will be those of his own household.

Consider those relatives who are causing you to sin as

being of your hidden enemies.

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Also of the hidden enemies, there are some

work partners.

And of them, we are noting to those who are

always going in the opposite direction, or the partner

whom the other person has placed his confidence in

and this partner drags him into the dilemma of debts

that might lead to his bankruptcy or to lawsuits in

courts. This person only has the name of a partner

but he is of the hidden enemies.

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Alike work partners, there are partners of

amusements; evil company.

Those, who draw their friend into sin and

corruption, sometimes they drag him into addiction,

And as a result of being on intimate terms with them

he loses his career, his reputation and also his health,

they might appear to be the source of love, joy and

amusement to him. The chanter said in the first

Psalm about the righteous man "Nor stands in the

path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful".

Those, they are not friends; they are of the hidden

enemies.

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And of the hidden enemies, there are the

blind guides:

About such, the Bible says "O My people! Those

who lead you cause you to err,

and destroy the way of your paths" (Is 3:12). And

repeated the same phrase in (Is 9:16). The Bible

described those leaders in (Mt 23:16) as blind guides.

And also said about such misleading guides of the

Scribes and the Pharisees "you shut up the kingdom

of heaven against men; for you neither go in

yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering

to go in" (Mt 23:13). And said as well "you travel land

and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won,

you make him twice as much a son of hell as

yourselves" (Mt 23:15).

May each one of you be careful of following a

misleading guide, as "if the blind leads the blind both

will fall into a ditch". No doubt this leader, who

misleads those who ask him advice, is of the hidden

enemies.

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This leader could be one of the friends whom

had grown up with a person and whom he

always asks his counseling.

Like the young men who had grown up with

Rehoboam the son of Solomon. When Jeroboam and

all the people came to Rehoboam asking to lighten

the yoke which his father put on them, he consulted

the young men who had grown up with him and they

said: tell them " My little finger shall be thicker than

my father's waist… my father chastised you with

whips, but I will chastise you with scourges" (1 K

12:10, 11).

Rehoboam listened to their advice, the people

revolted against him. Ten tribes apprised against him

and followed Jeroboam.

So, all those young men who were friends were of

the hidden enemies. This goes for every misleading

advice of any friend.

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Under the title "hidden enemies" goes all

bad entertainments inside the house.

Whether stories, books or some Internet and TV

programs. And also all other kinds of amusements

which seem to be a source of joy and fun but in

reality they are of the hidden enemies.

This goes as well on some medications

which are meant to be for healing, but they

have many side effects.

And so is every medicine inscribed by a person

who is not professional in his job, it harms more than

it cures.

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In this subject there is a final remark to be noted:

Some of the hidden enemies are turned to be

manifest.

Through time and experience they are discovered,

or through their deeds…Judas Iscariot was one of the

hidden enemies, though as one of the Twelve

Apostles of Jesus Christ, his mistakes were not

discovered till God revealed them and said "one of

you will betray Me … He who dipped his hand with Me

in the dish