the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Persecution
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
or Those who love evil rather than good will inevitably want to persecute those who desire to live godly lives (John 3:19-20; 2 Timothy 3:12). Christians should not be surprised when they suffer persecution. If they show themselves to be Christ’s people, they can expect the sort of opposition that Christ suffered. They should consider it a privilege to suffer for Christ’s sake (Matthew 5:10-11; John 15:20; Acts 5:41; 2 Corinthians 12:10; 1 Peter 4:12-13).
Both Jesus and the New Testament writers taught Christians that they should pray for their persecutors. Certainly they should not try to return evil upon those who attack them. God’s people should have confidence in him that, when they are persecuted, they will know how to act and what to say (Matthew 5:44; Matthew 10:17-20; Romans 12:14; 1 Peter 2:21-24; 1 Peter 4:14-16).
Persecution tests the genuineness of a person’s faith, but true believers will endure it, knowing that God will not forsake them (Matthew 13:21; Romans 5:3-5; Romans 8:35; 2 Corinthians 4:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:4). The early Christians proved the reality of God’s presence with them when they suffered persecution, much of which was at the hands of the Jews (Acts 4:29-31; Acts 5:17-21; Acts 7:54-56; Acts 18:9-10; 2 Timothy 4:17).
This persecution came first from the Sadducees (Acts 4:1-3; Acts 5:17; Acts 5:27-28), then from the Pharisees, whose fiery leader was the young Saul of Tarsus (Acts 7:58-60; Acts 8:1-3; Acts 9:4; Galatians 1:13; Philippians 3:6). When Saul the persecutor was converted to Paul the Christian preacher, he himself was persecuted by the Jews, violently and unceasingly (Acts 9:15-16; Acts 14:19-20; Acts 16:22-24; Acts 21:35-36; 2 Corinthians 11:23-25). In his preaching Paul warned of the persecution that believers could expect; yet people continued to turn to God. And as Paul warned, they met opposition from their fellow citizens (Acts 14:22; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16).
During the reign of Nero the persecution of Christians became government policy throughout the Empire. Government officials and common people alike hated the Christians for their refusal to follow the practices of a society that they considered idolatrous and immoral (1 Peter 2;12; 4:12-16). So severe was the persecution that some Christians were tempted to give up their faith in the hope of avoiding trouble (Hebrews 10:32-36).
Although official persecution later died down, it increased again towards the end of the century during the reign of the Emperor Domitian. But no matter how great the persecution, God’s people are repeatedly assured that in the end they will triumph (Revelation 2:13; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 12:11; Revelation 19:1-2).
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Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Persecution'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/bbd/p/persecution.html. 2004.
