And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Jesus spoke these words on the Mount of Olives in answer to Peter and James and John and Andrew asking when these things shall be and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled. They stand among warnings of deceivers coming in His name, wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, earthquakes, famines and troubles as the beginnings of sorrows, delivery to councils and beatings and trial before rulers and kings, publishing of the gospel among all nations, words given by the Holy Ghost in that hour, family betrayal unto death, flight from Judea at the abomination of desolation, unequaled affliction shortened for the elect's sake, false Christs showing signs and wonders, darkening of sun and moon and falling of stars, coming of the Son of man in clouds with angels gathering the elect, the fig-tree sign that the end is at the doors, and the command to watch and pray for the unknown day and hour.
They belong to Christ's prophetic discourse about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and His coming at the end of the world, with those two crises described together for both the disciples and those living in earth's final history. In that setting the discourse is presented as a warning that sinful cities and their possessions will be destroyed by God's judgments.
His followers will be hated of all men for His name's sake because they bear His name, obey Him, bear witness to Him, and remain loyal to Him. That persecution can include division of families, betrayal by members of their own households and families unto death, and broken friendships. Hatred for Christ's name can break human friendships and family bonds through opposition to the truth.
The same hatred is met when disagreement over Scripture gives way to human passion, ridicule, and denunciation, bringing hostility from former friends and fellow believers through which Christ's followers may be hated and suffer betrayal for His name yet must remain faithful through the trial. When satanic powers unite with the professed Christian world to enforce worship by human authority, God's people will be hated for their loyalty to Christ, with even close family members betraying one another during persecution.
He who endures faithfully through persecution to the end shall be saved, and every soul who so endures will be saved. Persecution is not a reason for discouragement, but followers need not expose themselves to it unnecessarily and may, like Christ, leave a place where they are threatened and continue working for the salvation of souls elsewhere.
Jesus spoke these words on the Mount of Olives in answer to Peter and James and John and Andrew asking when these things shall be and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled. They stand among warnings of deceivers coming in His name, wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, earthquakes, famines and troubles as the beginnings of sorrows, delivery to councils and beatings and trial before rulers and kings, publishing of the gospel among all nations, words given by the Holy Ghost in that hour, family betrayal unto death, flight from Judea at the abomination of desolation, unequaled affliction shortened for the elect's sake, false Christs showing signs and wonders, darkening of sun and moon and falling of stars, coming of the Son of man in clouds with angels gathering the elect, the fig-tree sign that the end is at the doors, and the command to watch and pray for the unknown day and hour.
They belong to Christ's prophetic discourse about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and His coming at the end of the world, with those two crises described together for both the disciples and those living in earth's final history. In that setting the discourse is presented as a warning that sinful cities and their possessions will be destroyed by God's judgments.
His followers will be hated of all men for His name's sake because they bear His name, obey Him, bear witness to Him, and remain loyal to Him. That persecution can include division of families, betrayal by members of their own households and families unto death, and broken friendships. Hatred for Christ's name can break human friendships and family bonds through opposition to the truth.
The same hatred is met when disagreement over Scripture gives way to human passion, ridicule, and denunciation, bringing hostility from former friends and fellow believers through which Christ's followers may be hated and suffer betrayal for His name yet must remain faithful through the trial. When satanic powers unite with the professed Christian world to enforce worship by human authority, God's people will be hated for their loyalty to Christ, with even close family members betraying one another during persecution.
He who endures faithfully through persecution to the end shall be saved, and every soul who so endures will be saved. Persecution is not a reason for discouragement, but followers need not expose themselves to it unnecessarily and may, like Christ, leave a place where they are threatened and continue working for the salvation of souls elsewhere.