Luke 21:16, commentary and pictures

Christ warned that His followers would be handed over and betrayed even by the closest parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and that some would be put to death for His name and for faithfulness to truth. It was spoken as part of His prophetic discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem and His coming, blending those two events together for both the disciples and those living in the final scenes of earth's history. What was fulfilled in a marked manner during the papal oppression beginning in the sixth century, when refusal to accept papal worship brought imprisonment, torture and death, will be fulfilled in yet more marked manner because the unregenerate heart remains at enmity with Christ and His law. In the final battle over God's law before the close of probation, the commandment-keeping remnant who obey God rather than human edicts violating His law will stand distinct from Sunday observers and will be menaced, denounced, betrayed before kings and councils, imprisoned, driven to flee, and some killed as martyrs. Yet bodily death cannot destroy the life they have in Christ, not a hair of their heads will finally perish but by patience they possess their souls unto immortal life, so they must stand firm as a rock sustained by strength proportioned to their trial with prayer as their only defense.

Setting and Prediction

The warning stands in Christ's prophetic discourse concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and His coming, in which those two events are blended together, and it was given both for the disciples and for those living in the final scenes of earth's history. The chapter to which it belongs represents the troublous times to come, with this warning forming part of the description of events associated with the end.

The verse predicts that followers of Christ will be handed over and betrayed by parents and brethren and kinsfolk and friends, by siblings and relatives, even the closest, and that some will be put to death for His name and for faith, showing the cost of standing for truth. That betrayal includes seizure and delivery to religious courts and prisons and trial before kings and rulers and councils, to meet false, absurd and lying accusations, and in the coming persecution it will occur as earthly powers demand obedience to laws that violate God's law. At the close of the world's history this will happen as a repetition of the deeds done to Christ, with unbelief and hatred of reproof stirring satanic influences, with principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places leagued against God in the person of His saints, demoralizing by misrepresentation and falsehood and false witnesses those who believe the truth, while all believers are hated for Christ's name's sake. In that final battle over God's law prior to the last closing conflict, when God's commandment-keeping people stand distinct and separate from Sunday observers, many convinced of truth will join them, while many of the faithful will be imprisoned, many will flee for their lives from cities and towns, and many will be martyrs for Christ's sake in defense of the truth.

The peace Christ gives is inward rather than outward, not bought by agreement with the world or compromise with evil, and it stays with His witnesses through conflict and contention. It does not remove division but remains amid strife and division, for outside will be wars and fightings through the opposition of avowed enemies and the coldness and suspicion of those who claim to be friends. Though Christ as Prince of Peace proclaims good news and creates hope and joy, He also causes division and opens a controversy that burns deep and stirs intense feeling in the human heart, because one portion of the human family receives Him while the other takes sides with Satan and opposes Christ and His followers.

History and Final Crisis

These words were fulfilled during the papal oppression, when those who refused to accept papal ceremonies and worship had to choose faithfulness at the cost of imprisonment, torture, and death or execution. That oppression began in the sixth century. The prophecy was fulfilled in past persecution in a marked manner and will be fulfilled in a yet more marked manner, because the carnal, unregenerate mind remains hostile to Christ and at enmity with God's law and will not be subject to its commands.

Every indignity, reproach and cruelty that Satan can instigate has been visited upon followers of Jesus, the world is no more in harmony with Christ's principles today than in ages past, and the same hatred that cried Crucify Him, persecuted the disciples, and acted in the Dark Ages still works in unregenerate hearts. At the close of the world's history this will happen as a repetition of the deeds done to Christ, with unbelief and hatred of reproof stirring satanic influences, principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places leagued against God in the person of His saints. By misrepresentation, falsehood, false witnesses and lying accusations they demoralize those who believe the truth, and all believers will be hated for Christ's name's sake.

The verse belongs to the final battle over God's law prior to the last closing conflict, at the closing up of the great day of atonement, when God's commandment-keeping remnant church who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus will stand distinct and separate from Sunday observers. In that coming time of trial Satan, who numbers the world as his subjects and has gained control of the apostate churches, stirs up the wicked powers of earth to destroy them, and earthly powers demand obedience to human edicts in violation of the divine law. Those who obey God rather than human commands that violate His law will be menaced, threatened, denounced and proscribed, betrayed and brought before kings, rulers and councils, and some will be killed. In that time many convinced of the truth will join them, while many of the faithful will be imprisoned, many will flee for their lives from cities and towns, and many will be martyrs for Christ's sake in defense of the truth.

Faithfulness and Hope

Even betrayal by the closest relatives and friends, and death itself for His name, cannot destroy the life believers have in Christ, for those who trust in Him are not abandoned to perish but are assured of God's protection and salvation. The cost of standing for truth may be that even close family members side against the believer and faithfulness may cost life itself, yet the believer remains kept and saved. Not a hair of their heads will finally perish, and by patience they possess their souls, for Christ as the Lifegiver will store the life taken and will beautify the righteous with salvation and immortal life.

They must obey God's express command and stand firm as a rock to principle, sustained by divine strength proportioned to their trial as Jesus bore trial before them. In that time their only hope is in the mercy of God and their only defense is prayer, pleading through Jesus their Advocate for pardon and deliverance with brokenness of heart and earnest, unfaltering faith, as Joshua pleaded before the Angel. They plead fully conscious of the sinfulness of their lives and seeing their weakness and unworthiness until they are ready to despair.

The verse also portrays the course of a self-confident, self-deceived class of professed believers who determine to have their own way, advocate their own ideas, reject reproof, and make of none effect the workings of God's Spirit through Satan's sophistry. Like Judas they betray their Lord into the hands of His bitterest enemies, going blindly from bad to worse rather than give up their own will, while like deluded Pharisees they think in self-deception that they are doing God's service, until close family and friends betray one another even to death.