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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me.
Matthew 24:9
You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of Me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Mark 13:9-11
But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of My name. And so you will bear testimony to Me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
Luke 21:12-15
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Watch out for imposters!
Watch out for wars!
Watch out for earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful events, and other great signs from heaven!
These were all things Jesus was telling His first four followers - Peter, Andrew, James, and John - as well as us, as He mentioned signs in the form of events that would precede His return to earth. They would have been enough on their own but Jesus wasn’t finished giving warnings to His believers as we see in today’s continuation of this devotional series. Look again at His words here:
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. Matthew 24:9
You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of Me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. Mark 13:9-11
But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of My name. And so you will bear testimony to Me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. Luke 21:12-15
What Jesus is saying here is clear. Anyone who professes their belief in Him will be persecuted for that belief. His words would come to life as His followers set out to carry on His work after He ascended as they were subjected to the same harassment and discrimination He suffered through during His earthly ministry. Much of this harassment and discrimination early on was from the same Jewish authorities too. In fact, we see many parallels between Jesus and Stephen who comes on the scene in the Book of Acts, Chapter 6. Persecuted and falsely accused, Stephen was hauled in front of the Sanhedrin and received the same unfair trial that Jesus received earlier. Thus, the verdict was the same as well. Stephen was issued the death penalty just as His Savior had, only by way of stoning instead of crucifixion.
This was just the start of the persecution movement as Christians have suffered it ever since, even up to today. If you doubt this, check out the following organizations that devote their time to advocate for persecuted Christians around the world:
The Voice of the Martyrs https://www.persecution.com/
and
International Christian Concern https://www.persecution.org/
Reading through either of these websites, it’s easy to see how persecution is alive and well today, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
How bad will it get as we approach the time when Jesus will return?
He tells us in our passages. Here’s what to expect:
1. Hatred.
It was hatred that led a group of Jewish religious authorities to act sinfully while falsely accusing, abusing, and then crucifying the one and only Son of the God Most High. And as we see Jesus promise, it would be this hatred of Him that would carry over to His disciples. All the ensuing things to expect are grounded in this Christ-centered hatred.
2. Arrest and Incarceration.
Jesus makes sure His followers know that they will be taken into formal custody for following Him. Incarceration for Christian beliefs will happen on account of His name.
3. Abuse.
Floggings can be expected and believers can expect to suffer physical abuse just as their Savior did.
4. Trial.
Once arrested, Christian believers will be brought to trial and stand before governors and kings to be held accountable for their religious association with Jesus. During these trials, note how Jesus encourages His disciples to use them as a time of ministry, a time to testify and share the Gospel with those who are judging them.
Then Jesus gives all His Christian followers comfort and assurance. For they would not have to worry about what to say when being judged in court because He, Jesus Himself, would provide them the words to say via the Holy Spirit. These words would be grounded in truth because they come from a perfectly true Savior and therefore a Christian’s adversaries would be left unable to contradict the statements provided by Jesus.
Keep this promise in mind the next time you fall under persecution for your belief in Christ.
5. Death.
Despite testimony through words from Jesus via the Holy Spirit, Christian believers would still be put to death, murdered just as He was although the killing might happen in a different way than His.
Hatred. Arrest and Incarceration. Abuse. Trial. Death.
This is what is happening today as Christians are persecuted on a small scale globally but one day this harassment and discrimination will one day have a much broader scope. When that day comes, no one should act surprised because Jesus has already told us that it is a sign of the times, the times preceding His return to earth.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at the fifth devotion in the series as Jesus warns us of other things that will impact Christian believers in the future.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might
be blessed by it.
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