Persecuted
God's true servants have always been persecuted by the world - some more, and some less. Jesus was persecuted, and the true servants of Christ share their masters fate.
Matthew 10:24 " The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. "
John 15:20 " Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. "
John 7:6-7 " Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. "
John 3:19 " And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. "
John 15:18-19 " If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. "
Christ was hated and hounded by the religious establishment of the day. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He died a horrible death on the cross, yet He did no wrong, or sin.
Christ's servants who are part of the true church - the body of Christ - suffer persecutions.
2 Timothy 3:12 " Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. "
The faith chapter - Hebrews 11 explains a lot about these things.
All of Christ's twelve disciples or apostles were put to death, except John, who apparently died of old age. One of Christ's original disciples - Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Christ) is not included here.
There are some different versions of how these men died, but it is well established that almost all were martyred. The apostle Paul was also put to death.
- Peter - crucified head down in Rome, during the reign of Nero in 66 A.D.
- Andrew was crucified on an "X"-shaped cross two ends of which were in the ground.
- James , son of Zebedee, beheaded in Jerusalem by the sword by King Herod (Acts 12:1-9).
- John - banished to the Isle of Patmos died a natural death around 96 A.D. (Rev. 1: 9).
- Phillip - He was severely flogged, imprisoned and reportedly crucified at Heliopolis, in Phrygia around 52 A.D.
- Bartholomew - beaten, crucified, beheaded around 52 A.D.
- Thomas - run through by a lance or a spear, some say a five headed spear.
- Matthew - some say slain by the sword perhaps in a city of Ethiopia about 60 A.D., and others say burned by fire
- James son of Alphaeus, - thrown from a pinnacle, then beaten to death, 60 A.D.
- Thaddeus (Jude) crucified, or perhaps shot to death by arrows around 72 A.D.
- Simon the Zealot was crucified.
- Matthias - He was stoned, then beheaded at Jerusalem.
John The Baptist was beheaded by Herod (Matthew 14:1-12).
Stephen - generally regarded as the first Christian martyr - stoned to death.
Paul - beheaded, or torn to pieces by wild animals in the Roman arena, during the time of Nero.
It has been estimated that about 2,000 Christians, along with Nicanor, one of the seven deacons (Acts 6:5), also suffered martyrdom during the great persecution that arose after Stephen (Acts 8:1).
God's true church suffered terrible persecution for ten years by the government of the Roman Empire.
Revelation 2:8-10 " And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 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.
God's true church suffered terrible persecution for ten years.
A quote from Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - chapter 13 " The conduct of the Roman government towards the Christians from the reign of Nero to that of Constantine (54 AD-313 AD)"
" In the tenth year of the reign of Nero the capital of the empire was afflicted by a fire, which raged beyond the memory or example of former ages..................
" Of the fourteen regions or quarters into which Rome was divided, four only subsisted entire, three were leveled with the ground, and the remaining seven, which had experienced the fury of the flames, displayed a melancholy prospect of ruin and desolation..........
" But all the prudence and humanity affected by Nero on this occasion were insufficient to preserve him from popular suspicion. Every crime might be imputed to the assassin of his wife and mother; nor could the prince who prostituted his person and dignity on the theatre be deemed incapable of the most extravagant folly.
" The voice of rumour accused the emperor as the incendiary of his own capital; and, as the most incredible stories are the best adapted to the genius of an enraged people, it was gravely reported, and firmly believed, that Nero, enjoying the calamity, which he had occasioned, amused himself with singing to his lyre the destruction of ancient Troy.
" To divert a suspicion which the powers of despotism was unable to suppress, the emperor resolved to substitute in his own place some fictitious criminals. With this view (continues Tacitus) he inflicted the most exquisite tortures on those men who, under the vulgar appellation of Christians, were already branded with deserved infamy. The confessions of those who were seized discovered a great multitude of their accomplices, and they were all convicted, not so much for the crime of setting fire to the city as their hatred of human kind.
" They died in torments, and their torments were embittered by insult and derision. Some were nailed to crosses; others sewn up in the skins of wild beasts, and exposed to the fury of dogs; others again, smeared over with combustible materials, were used as torches to illuminate the darkness of night.
" The gardens of Nero were destined for the melancholy spectacle, which was accomplished with a horse-race, and honoured with the presence of the emperor, who mingled with the populace in the dress and attitude of a charioteer. The guilt of the Christians deserved indeed the most exemplary punishment, but the public abhorrence was changed into commiseration, from the opinion that those unhappy wretches were sacrificed, not so much to the public welfare as to the cruelty of a jealous tyrant...........
" As often as any occasional severities were exercised in different parts of the empire, the primitive Christians lamented and perhaps magnified their sufferings, but the celebrated number of ten persecutions has been determined by the ecclesiastical writers of the fifth century.........
" But these transient persecutions only served to revive the zeal and to restore the discipline of the faithful; and the moments of extraordinary rigor were compensated by much longer intervals of peace and security. "
God's true church was prophesied to flee into the wilderness for a thousand two hundred and threescore days. A day in biblical prophecy is one year. So the true church was to flee into the wilderness for 1,260 years.
(This prophecy is not the same as the 3 ½ literal years the Philadelphia era of God's true church will be protected in the wilderness from the world government in the last days - just before the return of Jesus - Revelation 3:7-10 note verse 10, and Revelation 12:13-16).
Revelation 12:6 " And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."
A day in Bible prophecy is one year. The church was prophesied to flee in the wilderness for 1,260 years. This actually has been fulfilled when the true church was forced to escape into the wilderness and the Mountains of Europe, and set up communities in the mountain valleys, to get away from the authorities who were persecuting them. To flee the confines of the Roman Empire due to persecution.
The Roman Catholic Church had labeled these people as heretics, for not following the great universal religion of the time and place. They were often severely persecuted by the religious establishment of the day, and sometimes by the governments of the day. The Holy Roman Empire existed in central Europe for about 1,000 years.
Many of the persecuted true Christians fled to the Waldensian Valleys (generally in the Alps of Southern France and Northern Italy), and other inaccessible wilderness strongholds. There was a cave where some of the persecuted Church resorted to in order to freely worship on the Sabbath (from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), and freely study the Bible. The cave, Ghiesa di La Thana, in the Angrogna Valley, a traditional site of Waldensian worship prior to 1532.
There are still trails that have been worn into the mountain sides - used by persecuted Christians when fleeing their persecutors.
A mountain refuge most difficult to breach was the Subiasc Valley. It was at various times the last line of defense against enemies like the Duke of Savoy and his forces. In 1686 the Waldensians managed to hold their enemies at bay for months in the Subiasc Valley. They later escaped to Switzerland.
The Angrogna Valley was a prize coveted by the Catholic expeditionary leadership, and forces. Christians were attacked by armies, crusades and roving bands. But the persecuted Christians somehow clung, and survived there for around 300 years.
God's true servants in Asia Minor and Europe were literally forced to escape into wilderness areas to get away from the persecutions. To illustrate the extent of persecution - in 1229 the Catholic Church was successful in their murderous campaign to stamp out heresy in the Toulouse area of Southern France. To insure the peace was effective an ecclesiastic council at Toulouse outlined in stern procedure a policy to eradicate heresy (true Christianity folks) in the South. Among other measures the council forbade to the laity the possession of copies of the Bible, except the Psalms, and such passages as were in breviary, and condemned vernacular translations. They therefore sought to remove one of the prevalent sources of heresy (true Christianity folks) by making it illegal to possess entire copies of the Bible !!!
Isn't that astonishing ? The real one these rulers were out to suppress, stifle, and persecute was Jesus Christ and His written word the Bible. They just did not like these people reading about Jesus and actually trying to follow Christ !
The true church from around 500 AD to the 1750's or thereabouts (1,260 years) was very often forced to flee into the wilderness, so they could freely worship God and Jesus Christ.
The Philadelphia era of God's true church in these last days is promised a place of safety in the wilderness, where she will be safe from the Devil and from the world government.
The prophecy mentioned in Revelation 12:13-16 where " to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent " is not part of the prophecy about the woman fleeing into the wilderness for 1,260 days (years) mentioned in Revelation 12:6.
We can understand this because of the specific promise given to the Philadelphia era of the true church in Revelation 3:10 " Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
As well the war in heaven mentioned in Revelation 12:7-13 (where Satan and the fallen angels lose the war and are cast down to the earth) , happens after the church flees into the wilderness for 1,260 years (from around 500 to 1750 AD), and it happens during our time today during the last days.
After this war Satan steps up his persecution against the true church. One of the things Christ says about the Philadelphia era of the true church is how they will be persecuted, and will patiently endure such persecutions. The Philadelphia era of the true church exists in these last days, just prior to the return of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 3:10 from the Living Bible " Because you have patiently obeyed me despite the persecution, therefore I will protect you from the time of Great Tribulation and temptation, which will come upon the world to test everyone alive. "
Revelation 12:13-16 " And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. "
The true church has to be able to survive for at least 3 ½ years in the wilderness - protected from the world government run by the Beast (Revelation 3:10) (Revelation 12:13-17). Why ? Because of the persecutions of Satan. And Satan works through his human instruments (the children of disobedience) to persecute God's servants. Satan also works through the governments of this world as well - to persecute the true church.
Real Christians are supposed to rejoice when they are persecuted for righteousness sake. We are talking about suffering persecutions for following God's ways, and keeping God's laws. If you are persecuted for telling the truth, or for being honest, or for not swearing or getting drunk, or for keeping the weekly Sabbath, of for refusing to cheat and deceive people in the business world and so on.
Matthew 5:4 " Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. "
Matthew 5:10-12 " Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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 exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. "
1 Peter 3:14 " But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; "
1 Peter 3:19-20 " For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. "
This writer has been severely persecuted by some of the ministry in the Worldwide Church of God. You can read about this experience by clicking here. Being persecuted by the church hierarchy simply for being honest and telling the truth was very upsetting. Persecutions when they happen are not very pleasant. You suffer a lot.
I have been and continue to be persecuted for keeping the weekly Sabbath. The same weekly Sabbath that Jesus Christ kept. This is from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. These persecutions have often been very cruel and painful.
Yet Christ says we should rejoice when we are persecuted for righteousness sake. Yes rejoice when you suffer for following God's ways, and for keeping God's commandments.
