As more and more Christians in general society and the workplace are being persecuted by those with an agenda of “unrestrained perpetual sin” [i.e. the openly homosexual activists that are currently fighting for gay marriage rights, as well as Atheist and/or Satanic activists who want to stamp out as much of Christianity in public and in private as much as humanly possible], I am constantly brought back in my mind to the words of Revelation 2:10 which state: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life“.
[Rather or not the 10 days in question is an ACTUAL 10 days or a “figurative” 10 days is up to debate, as many bible scholars think “they” have the answer and the number of their answers are as many as the number of ice cream flavors at Baskin Robbins, if not even more so, lol].
There’s also 3 other bible passages that deal with this topic as well: (Luke 21:12, Matthew 10:19, and Mark 13:11), which I’ll quote down below. Because lets face it, if you’re one of those Christians who thought that going through the great tribulation/testing of your faith met staying at home, indoors, and doing nothing BUT reading your bible and praying all the time, you’re in for QUITE a rude awakening! Truth be told, there WILL be persecution on every Christian…….atleast, every TRUE biblical-roots Christian, that is. Now, the DEGREE of persecution is going to differ from person to person, depending on the circumstances.
But before you go ANY further into this post, please watch the following enactment video called : “Would You Die For Your Faith in Jesus Christ [Yeshua]?” at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj1d9h7IL0I
Have you ever really noticed how the Devil NEVER, EVER persecutes the WORLDLY CHURCHES? No, in fact, all the WORLDLY churches (such as Joel Osteen’s Lakewood, Texas prosperity church, Benny Hinn’s church, etc.) are some of THE RICHEST churches IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! Why is that, do you think? On other other hand, pastors who do NOT agree with gay marriage etc. oftentimes get reprimanded and/or lose their jobs!
And just like Revelation 2:10, Luke 21:12 states: “But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues [interesting it says TO and not FROM…odd?], and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake“.
However, ONCE a Christian is “arrested” and/or “severely persecuted” for being a Christian (or consequently, for whatever “erroneous charges” that the dark side can come up with as a RESULT of a person being a true Christian who tries to follow the Lord’s will in their lives, NO MATTER WHAT), the bible gives us VERY CLEAR instructions on WHAT we are to do and say WHEN that happens. The following two bible passages command us to do the following:
Matthew 10:19 says: “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak“
Mark 13:11 states: “But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost“.
And DO you, as a true bible-believing Christian, ever get that creepy feeling in your stomach that somebody (somebody from the dark side of forces) is watching you and just WAITING to punish you somehow for doing the Lord’s will and/or for being a true Christian that follows the bible and supports Israel/Jerusalem/bible prophecy?
Conspiracy theorists talk all the time about concentration camps for Christians someday, while others even suggest that beheading will someday become the preferred form of capital punishment in this country (America). As to how much of that stuff is actually true, one can only guess. BUT…..If I don’t write another post on here in a very long time or you don’t hear back any replies from me for a really long time if you make a comment on here, then that probably means something controversial happened and please pray for me.
Also: Please pray for me and ALL fellow Christians all over the world that are being persecuted for Jesus’s namesake.
However, also please rejoice somewhat whenever a person is persecuted for Jesus Christ’s namesake! For Jesus Christ said the following in Matthew 5: 11-12 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”.
Romans 5:3-4 state: “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope”.
However, you also might be wondering WHY the good Lord makes us suffer forms of persecution in our lives. That is because he wants to test our faith and even try to strengthen it and make our faith EVEN STRONGER!
It’s really no different than car companies crash-testing cars that they make. They keep crashing them over and over again in the “testing process” to learn how to make them more crash-safe and/or durably crash-free. So it is with Jesus Christ and our faith. He sometimes allows us to suffer persecution SO THAT we will learn *perseverance*.
And then, if/when things get REALLY bad, it’ll then seem “normal” and be like a walk in the park for us, faith-wise, since God will have already given us by then the necessary emotional, mental, physical and spiritual tools to deal with persecution and opposition during the previous “crash-testing” process of our faith. Because lets face it, when we already HAVE everything we need, we feel as though we have no need for God in our lives, it’s a PRIDE thing! But whenever things go bad in our lives, OH HOW WE SURE HAVE NEED OF THE GOOD LORD THEN, am I right? 😉
Therefore, like it or not, God uses suffering as a means to draw us closer to HIM! And he does it for our own spiritual good! (Even if, during the TIME of the persecution, it doesn’t feel or seem like that). Remember the words of God in Hebrews 13:5 which state: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee“. So in other words, draw close to God/Jesus Christ at ALL times (ESPECIALLY during times of suffering) and he will draw close to YOU!
Remember how Abraham was tested in the Old Testament? Abraham loved his son Isaac SO MUCH (the son that God MIRACULOUSLY gave to Abraham and Sarah in their OLD AGE), that God was no longer sure whom Abraham loved more, his son or God. That’s WHY God had to test Abraham and see where Abraham’s heart truly was. And then, after Abraham had proven himself faithful and that he placed God even above his own son, God rewarded him DILIGENTLY.
And let us also not forget Job in the Old Testament. He was a GENTILE, yet God was bragging about how faithful of a servant Job was, all across the board. Satan the Devil was angry and more or less said to God “oh yeah? Take away everything he owns and he will curse thee, I am sure”. So God took Satan up on the challenge and guess what? Job lost everything in one day (his cattle, his 10 children, his money, even the love and respect of his own wife!) But still, Job still kept the faith. And God eventually gave back to him ten-fold what he had lost during the “crash-testing” process of his faith. That’s where the popular saying comes from which states “the more you suffer, the more you gain”.
However, SOME people easily give up at the first sign of persecution and it’s THOSE few people I’d like to pray for, today: someone says something not so nice to them on their Christian witnessing Youtube page, an open homosexual at the workplace calls them out for being so “hateful” towards the homosexual lifestyle, a non-Christian friend, family member or stranger calls them “crazy” for believing in things they can’t so-called physically hear or see, they see more and more things in the News about “Christians” being PUNISHED for their beliefs and so they’re too afraid to profess their “Christian beliefs” in public or amongst their friends.
Then, after awhile, they just stop trying to live for Jesus Christ altogether, thinking to themselves that it’s “too hard”, “too much of a burden” in today’s world, and try to mildly blend INTO the world. They think that as long as they don’t become a full-fledged Satanist/Hindu/Wiccan/Buddhist/Atheist/etc. but still merely “believe” in God, that God will forgive them and that they won’t go to hell/eternal condemnation after they die. But sadly, those folks are mistaken. Because HERE is what Jesus Christ has to say about “lukewarmness” in people and in churches:
Revelation 3: 15-17 states: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”.
However, to those that ENDURE persecution and OVERCOME it by MAINTAINING and even STRENGTHENING their faith, Jesus Christ has THIS to say:
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” – Revelation 3:21
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” – Revelation 2:10
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” – James 1:12