The saints are also joined together with Christ in persecutions and sufferings in this life. Christ promised that we would be persecuted.
But Christ also linked that persecution with our eternal life to come at the end! His teaching on this matter tracks well with Paul's exhortation, that if we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with Him.
Christ warned of personal betrayals by family and friends, and outright persecution for those who believe in Jesus. Christ promises that He will give us the words to speak as a testimony at the proper time by the Holy Ghost.
Christ even warns the saints that some of us will be put to death for His sake.
But then He promises us, that in all this, not an hair of our heads shall perish! He will raise up all of His people, and vindicate us completely, and restore that which was harmed and taken away, with new glorified bodies like unto His!
We are joined with Christ in all these sufferings, because we are Christ's! We suffer with Him in this life, but Christ counts it all as done for His name's sake!
This is because the world hated Christ before it hated us. If they would have persecuted Christ, they will persecute His people. That's because they don't know God at all.
Some saints today suffer far worse persecution than do believers in western countries – in China, in North Korea, in Indonesia, in Iran, in Israel, in Saudi Arabia, in many African counties, in far-left liberal countries in Europe, including England, as well as Canada.
Yet we see a rising tide of persecution even in our own country.
The reason Christ gave for this persecution is His revelation of the world's dark wickedness and sin.
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John Pittman Hey was born in 1961 in Jackson, Mississippi, to Godly parents who from the beginning raised him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. With child-like faith he came to Christ on his fourth birthday at his mother's knee. He received his education at church...
