Posts

Showing posts with the label Persecution

Your Endurance of Hope

Image
In the first chapter of First Thessalonians , Paul anticipates the Letter’s main subjects - the tribulation of believers, Christian hope, and the “ arrival ” of Jesus when he will rescue his people from “ wrath .” He will resurrect the righteous dead, and “ meet ” all his assembled saints as he descends from Heaven. On that day, his disciples, both living and dead, will “ obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ .”

Appointed for Tribulation

Image
Our natural tendency is to avoid conflict. Understandably, we prefer our daily lives to be characterized by peace, acceptance, and prosperity, a life devoid of difficulties and afflictions. Moreover, the New Testament does promise believers peace now and everlasting life later. Nevertheless, it also exhorts the Assembly of God to expect afflictions and even persecution in this life on account of its light and testimony in a sin-darkened world.

Rejected at Home

Image
Jesus experienced growing conflict as he began his journey to the city of Jerusalem. In Galilee, he displayed his lordship over nature, demons, disease, and even death, and the crowds welcomed him, at first, enthusiastically. However, among his own people, he was met with unbelief and rejection, and in the Gospel of Mark , this serves as the prelude to the execution of John the Baptist. More importantly, it becomes the pattern for what disciples of Jesus may expect when they preach the Gospel.

Opposition and Rejection

Image
To be the disciple of Jesus one must take up the cross and follow in his footsteps, even if it results in rejection, impoverishment, or death . Jesus sent his twelve disciples to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom throughout the region. In the Gospel of Mark , this incident is followed by the execution of John the Baptist. His death serves as a warning to the would-be disciple that rejection will inevitably follow his decision to follow Jesus no matter where he leads. To walk in his footsteps, one must first COUNT THE COST to have any hope of seeing the journey through to the end.

Why do the Nations Rage?

Image
The conspiracy by the Earth’s kings to unseat God’s Son is applied by the New Testament to the plot to kill Jesus . The  Second Psalm  is a key messianic passage applied to Jesus several times in the New Testament. But precisely when were its predictions fulfilled, and is the Messiah reigning now on David’s Throne? Or is the world still waiting for his accession to God’s Throne at a future date? What about the “ revolt ” of nations and kings against Yahweh’s “anointed one”? Is this a prediction of a future conflict between Jesus and the government of the Earth - (Psalm 2:1-6)?

Adversity and Fulfillment

Image
Jesus began to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God in Galilee following the arrest of John the Baptist, an incident that foreshadowed the opposition he would face throughout his mission. In the end, resistance to his efforts culminated in his own arrest, trial, and execution in Jerusalem. His message brought fulfillment but also adversity. Unlike the prophets of old, his work did  NOT  begin or center in Jerusalem, though it certainly ended there - (Matthew 4:13).

Faithful Until Death

Image
The church of Smyrna is only one of two of the seven Asian churches that received no correction, the other being Philadelphia. What set this congregation apart was the level of persecution that it endured because of its “ testimony ,” and its steadfast refusal to “ eat meat offered to idols ” and otherwise compromise with the Greco-Roman culture. Its members stood firm in their refusal to participate in the imperial idolatry of Rome, and consequently, they suffered “ tribulation ” and persecution due to false accusations against them made by Satan’s agents.

"Leap for Joy!"

Image
In the experience of many disciples of Jesus, the outbreak of persecution is always a possibility. Moreover, they often face hostility from employers, neighbors, and even family members. So, how should they react when the possibility becomes a sudden and brutal reality? Fortunately, both Jesus and his Apostles left us with clear instructions and examples of how we ought to react when facing persecution.

Suffering and Discipleship

Image
For followers of Jesus, retaliation and violence are not appropriate reactions to persecution. Rather than respond in kind, they must meet threats and assaults with humility, mercy, and forgiveness. That is what it means to “ deny yourself ,” “ take up his cross ,” and follow him wherever he leads. Doing good to one’s “ enemy ” is contrary to the “ wisdom of this age ,” yet doing so is how the disciple emulates his Lord and becomes “ perfect as the Heavenly Father .”

Tribulation of the Church

Image
In  Revelation , John saw countless followers of the “ Lamb ” exiting the “ Great Tribulation ” after persevering through it. This striking image is central to his vision of the “ Innumerable Multitude ,” the men from every nation and people who were redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Having “ overcome ,” John saw them standing triumphantly in worship and celebration before the “ Lamb ” and the “ Throne ” in the “ Holy City, New Jerusalem .”

Mercy and Enemies

Image
The reality of persecution raises important questions. How should disciples of Jesus react, especially when persecuted by the State? Is resorting to anger or acts of civil disobedience appropriate, or should they instead emulate examples from the life of Christ? In his teachings, he warned that all men who decide to follow him would experience “ tribulation ,” and he summoned them to follow his path (“ If they persecuted me, so they will persecute you ”).

Mouth Speaking Great Things

In the  Book of Revelation , the “ Little Horn ” from Daniel’s visions is  NOT  referred to  explicitly   but its characteristics are present in the “ Beast from the Sea .” The Book does not retell the same story from Daniel without changes. Instead, it modifies and repurposes it to tell  ITS  story. The “ Beast ” is based on Daniel’s “ Little Horn ,” but it also is something beyond it, and arguably, far worse.

War Against the Saints

Image
  In John’s vision, the “ Dragon ” tasks his “ Beast from the Sea ” with the destruction of the “ saints ,” and the “ Beast ” receives authority over all nations to do so. Humanity is divided into two groups: The “ Inhabitants of the Earth ” who “ render obeisance to the Beast ,” and those who “ tabernacle in the heavens ,” namely, the “ saints .” The “ Beast ” attacks the followers of the “ Lamb ,”  NOT  the nations of the Earth.

War on the Earth

After his expulsion from heaven, Satan wages war against the seed of the Woman, those who hold the testimony of Jesus .  Having failed to destroy the messianic “ son ,” and now, thoroughly enraged, the “ Dragon ” vents his rage by pursuing the “ woman ” into the “ wilderness ,” not by waging war against the " inhabitants of the earth .” But he is thwarted in this effort, so instead, he turns his rage on her offspring – the men and women who “ have the testimony of Jesus. ”

Two Witnesses Testify

In its task of prophesying before “ nations and kings ,” the church is symbolized by “Two Witnesses” that “ testify ” before the “ Inhabitants of the Earth .” Their work continues for the entire “ twelve hundred and sixty days ” or “ forty-two months ” until they “ finish ” their prophetic ministry. Afterward, they are “ slain by the Beast from the Abyss .”

Absent Church?

Image
After Jesus finished dictating his letters to the seven “ Assemblies of Asia ,” John saw an “ open door in Heaven ,” and he heard the voice from his first vision summon him to “ come up here .” He then found himself standing before the “Throne sitting in Heaven.” Does this image symbolize the physical removal of the Church from the Earth before the visions of chapters 5 through 22, the so-called ‘Rapture’?