Jesus shared another sign of the end times with his disciples. He stated:
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. Matthew 24:9
Nazarene (N in Arabic) refers to Christians. Most recently, this has been a symbol of solidarity for persecuted Christians in Iraq and Syria.
The name of Christ and following Him has not been popular for years. We see distaste and hatred towards Christianity around the world including in nations such as ours that were founded on Christian principles. Currently, Christians are being persecuted and slaughtered in some of the Communist and Muslim nations. There are 50 nations that deny access to the Bible. In addition, the recent ISIS crisis in the Middle East has brought about a genocide of Christians in parts of the Middle East.
Furthermore, Christians are accused of hate speech because they recite or teach a scripture that defines sin. In a secular and humanistic culture, there is no such a thing as sin. People have a right to do what they wish with minimal restraints, and those who speak out against them are labeled with some sort of phobia. This has a huge impact in the fields of education, business, psychology, political science, law enforcement, ministry, etc.
It is alarming that Jesus declared that a time is coming when all nations will hate Christians and will persecute them. I often have wondered about the eventual consequence of democracy. The very system that gave religious rights to individuals, can someday take those rights away because those who don’t honor God will be in majority.
While we thank God for our governing authorities and should pray for them regularly, we cannot lose sight of the fact that at the end of the age there will be no governmental protection for believers. We are to train believers for reliance on the Lord and looking unto Jesus for provision and protection during difficult times.
In New Testament era, shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus and the birth of the church, we see that Paul, Peter, and the other disciples were faced with opposition, persecution, and even death. Some Christians are experiencing them now around the world. Jesus prepared his disciples for the eventual persecution and hatred that was going to come their way. I have heard that some churches in China train people for arrest and persecution, so that in difficult times, people won’t buckle under pressure. Can our faith hold up in those kinds of times? Is the church teaching, preparing, and training people for this?
I will continue in the next devotional with more signs of the end times that Jesus gave his disciples.
