WE MUST EXPECT SUFFERING
Opening Prayer
Just and Merciful Father, help me lean my whole self in the direction of Your will. Grant me guidance, strength and peace.
Read REVELATION 11:1–14
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Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“If the world hates us as it hated Jesus, then he is the model of inner joy and blessedness that we always ought to have in mind when we face persecution for righteousness’ sake” (John Killinger).
Think Further
Jesus Christ said that he would build his church and the gates of hell would not overcome it (Matt. 16:18). Martin Luther once said that while God had work for him to do, he was immortal. Those two statements help us understand this passage. At a time when many Christians were called to die as they witnessed, and the Greek word for a witness was transformed into our word “martyr,” they needed encouragement that God’s purposes for his church, and they themselves, were secure.
John refers to images from the book of Zechariah, which speak of God’s protection over Jerusalem as it is measured (Zech. 2:5). Jerusalem here is the not included in the measuring, but only the temple and its worshippers, as the city is handed over to be trampled for a set period of time of three and half years.
Then we have the two witnesses. Echoes of Elijah, who announced drought and called down fire on God’s enemies, as well as Moses and the plagues of Egypt are found in the language here. These two will have time to finish their witness, be raised as Jesus was and be taken to heaven. Their enemies are those who reject God’s messengers and ultimately the God they represent.
The twentieth-century experience of the church in China presents a testimony to God’s faithfulness as demonstrated in this chapter. Mao Tse-tung persecuted the church and thought he could destroy it. Many Christians were killed and pastors were imprisoned. In 1979, the first of the closed churches was reopened. The church had not been killed, but had grown. Today there are 100 million Christians in China. They know that faithful witness involves suffering. It is a truth that many Western Christians have to learn.
Apply
In what ways have you experienced persecution (rejection, isolation, scorn) for righteousness’ sake? How did you handle it?
Closing prayer
Father, for those facing fierce persecution for their faith, minister to them and encourage them in their difficult situations.
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