Letter about Persecution

By DH

As I have prayed fervently night and day over N facing persecution, the Lord powerfully ministered in my spirit, that we (you, I and all believers throughout the world) need to hear clearly from the Lord about what His Word has to say about persecution in these prophetic days of crisis that we all are (or will be) facing here and abroad.  Not only is N facing a severe test of his faith with his life being in imminent danger, but we all will face similar decisions about persecution as we approach the prophetic end of the age. 

Thus it is imperative that we all know clearly what the Bible teaches by command, example and principle.  There is not one answer that “fits all” situations but rather we must all fervently seek the mind of our Lord about what He is saying to each of us as we face persecution and then be obedient to His command regardless of the cost!

There are four clear and godly responses to persecution described in Scripture:

1)  There is a time to escape!

a)   Jesus escaped imminent stoning by walking through the mob to safety.

b)   Paul was let down a wall from the window to escape to safety.

c)   Paul appealed to Caesar to escape the unjust trial of the Jewish mob.

2)  There is a time to stand!

a)   Jesus took His stand before the Sanhedrin & Pilate.

b)   Peter and John and other disciples took their stand against the Jews who forbade them to speak in the Name of Jesus.

c)   Paul took his stand by responding to the mob of Jews to preach the gospel of salvation to them.

3)  There is a time to be imprisoned!

a)   Peter was imprisoned and placed in stocks and the doors of the prison were opened by angelic deliverance.

b)   John was exiled and imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos.

c)   Paul and Barnabas were imprisoned and sang hymns and the prison doors were opened by an earthquake.

4)  There is a time to be martyred!

a)   Jesus gave His life on the cross for our sins by shedding His blood for our redemption.

b)   James was martyred by the sword (In the same time-frame that Peter was delivered.)

c)   Stephen was stoned to death by the Jewish mob “and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father!”

DH