Matthew 24:9-14 Mark 13:9-13 Luke 21:12-19
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9 “Then they will deliver you to
tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because
of My name. 10 “At that time many will fall
away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 “Many
false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 “Because
lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 “But
the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 “This
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to
all the nations, and then the end will come.
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9 “But be on your guard; for they
will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the
synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as
a testimony to them. 10 “The gospel must first be
preached to all the nations. 11 “When
they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are
to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who
speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. 12 “Brother
will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 “You
will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end,
he will be saved.
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12 “But before all these things,
they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to
the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My
name’s sake. 13 “It will lead to an opportunity
for your testimony. 14 “So make up your minds not to
prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15 for
I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be
able to resist or refute. 16 “But you will be betrayed even
by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of
you to death, 17 and you will be hated by all
because of My name. 18 “Yet not a hair of your head
will perish. 19 “By your endurance you will gain
your lives.
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Jesus continues to warn His disciples about the way things
will be at the time leading up to His coming.
There is eternal hope in the Gospel and there is help from the Lord along
each step of the way. We are called to
rest in Him and testify for Him no matter the circumstance we might face. It is not our job to predict the future. Our calling is to tell others about Jesus and
advance the Gospel no matter how difficult the circumstances surrounding us may
become. His promise is to help us,
protect us and to save us. Our eternity
is secure. The days leading up to
eternity may be difficult, but God will provide along each step of the
way. We can trust Him fully as we serve
Him faithfully.
TRIBULATION WILL INCREASE: As the disciples seek to follow
the Lord, they will experience the same things that Jesus experienced. They will be persecuted. People will physically hurt them. Religious leaders will exclude them from the synagogues
so they will be ostracized from their own communities and even their own
families. Charges will be brought against
them like criminals. It will be a time
of great suffering. Kings and judges
will stand over them in trials just like they did with Jesus. Following Jesus means doing and experiencing
the same thigs He did. God calls us to
follow His footsteps. When difficult of
dangerous situations become a part of our path; we need to recognize God is
with us and will help us through His Spirit, just as He helped His Son. Following Jesus does not only mean suffering
as He suffered, but also experiencing the grace He experienced through the help
of the Spirit.
TESTIMONIES WILL ADVANCE: Persecution and suffering have repeatedly
been used throughout history for the advance of the Gospel. This same principle will be true at the
coming of Jesus. Those who follow Christ
will be persecuted and taken before authorities. This will be frightening, but it will also be
a golden opportunity to advance the Gospel.
The Holy Spirit will speak through these disciples to bring people to
Christ. What Satan intends to use
against the body of Christ will actually be used to advance the kingdom. God is going to reach all nations with the
Gospel. This is the mission He is
determined to accomplish. Persecution is
one of the means He has used, is using and will use in the future to reach the
nations. We need to view persecution for
the perspective of the advancement of the Gospel at every stage in history.
TREACHERY WILL OCCUR: Perhaps the greatest source of
suffering for followers of Christ is the abandonment and even the condemnation
of family members. It is one thing to be
persecuted by the government or people from other cultures; but it is very
hurtful when we are attacked by those closest to us. However, the promise of God is still true and
guarantees that his followers will be protected, and He will be with us no
matter what. God knows about every hair
that might fall from our head. He is
vitally concerned with he well-being of His own. As difficult as I might be to have a family
member turn against us, it is a great comfort to know that the Lord will never
leave us alone. He is always with us and
has promised to provide grace and strength to face any circumstance. Our focus must be on guarding our hearts from
growing cold in this process.
APPLICATION: In the face of persecution we can trust the
Lord to give us strength and equip us to be used of Him. The most difficult circumstances we can imagine
are not beyond His control or His ability to use for His own glory and the
advance of the Gospel. Before His return,
circumstances will be very difficult for His disciples, but He will faithfully
provide for and use us to accomplish His will.
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