Rachel Workman: 12 “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. 13 But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.[c] 14 So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, 15 for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you! 16 Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. 17 And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.[d] 18 But not a hair of your head will perish! 19 By standing firm, you will win your souls.
Sounds familiar really. Stand firm and you win your souls. I think the same can be said against this world.
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John Burnett: 12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on
you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, [a]bringing
you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. 13 It
will lead to [b]an
opportunity for your testimony. 14 So make up your
minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15 for I
will give you [c]utterance
and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16 But
you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends,
and they will put some of you to death, 17 and
you will be hated by all because of My name. 18 Yet not
a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your
endurance you will gain your [d]lives.
Jesus is talking about the
end of days. There will be a day when christians will be persecuted
because of our faith in Jesus Christ. We will be betrayed by family and
friends and we are to go willingly and not fight back. What I find really
cool is that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say at that
moment. I cannot think of a better way to die, uttering the words of the
Holy Spirit. I pray that the rapture will take place before my family and
I have to face persecution, but if does not, I pray that they will be strong in
the Lord at that moment.
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Tomorrow’s reading for Luke 21:20-24
20 “And when you see Jerusalem surrounded
by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. 21 Then
those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and
those out in the country should not return to the city. 22 For
those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the
Scriptures will be fulfilled. 23 How terrible it will be for
pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be
disaster in the land and great anger against this people. 24 They
will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the
world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of
the Gentiles comes to an end.
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